Blue
by Willowdove
Summary: Katara is torn away from her homeland to be offered as a gift for the Fire Lord's harem. Zuko intervenes out of pure desire to help, despite potentially catastrophic consequences. As time wears on, it becomes clear that they have the same vision for the world. Will they be able to change it? AU, told in alternating POV. Zutara, obviously. Rated M for sexual themes
1. Capture

_A/N: I wrote out most of this already because I have this fear that I won't finish and leave all you wonderful readers hanging. Which would be awful. But then I thought, wouldn't I be more motivated if I had people reviewing and such? Maybe they'd help me flesh out my ideas for the end, too. So here it is. If you like it please please PLEASE review. _

_A/N 2: In this world all the characters are aged up a few years. Katara is also not a waterbending master- yet- because she never left the South Pole to learn with Aang. She still has the warrior's spirit though!_

* * *

Katara had never expected to see the fall of black snow again.

How could she? The South Pole was decimated, the men gone, and the Fire Nation believed her deceased mother to have been the last waterbender. There was no reason for the iron hulls to smash through the edge of her glacier, or for the bows to detach with their metallic hiss and crush through the snowy walls of her home. No reason at all.

And yet she watched in horror as her dear brother, the only older male left in the village, charged forward against the ceaseless tide of armored soldiers. He hadn't received proper training, so most of his blows failed to connect and the firestorm he was faced with easily pushed him back. "Sokka, there's too many of them!" Katara cried, but he continued to stubbornly swing his spear anyway.

"I have to protect the village!" Sokka yelled back over his shoulder. His moment of shifted focus was all it took for a soldier to sweep his feet and knock him unconscious.

"Sokka!" Katara screamed, rushing forward. Simultaneously a boot stomped down on her brother's head, and a different large hand grabbed her wrist.

"That your boyfriend, girly?" sneered a voice beneath a white mask. Katara struggled wildly, flailing and scratching to get free. But her nails only connected with armor plating, making a painful screeching noise as they raked down.

"Let us go!" she demanded, fiercely knocking her arm against the man's chest. A hollow clang sounded, and white pain reverberated up her arm. Katara bit her lip, hot tears welling up in her eyes.

"Yes, do let her go," another voice sounded. The man gave Katara one last shake and then pushed her roughly away. She stumbled, clutching at her bruised wrist. "That's no way to treat our honored hostess, hmm?"

Katara looked up to meet the man's cold gaze. He was tall and bulky, with enormous sideburns protruding from his unmasked face. Somehow, she didn't think he was giving her a respite.

He stalked up to her, his powerful form towering menacingly above her. "I'm going to ask you this once, peasant girl. Where is the Avatar?" he demanded. Katara squinted up at him, uncomprehending.

"The what?" she asked incredulously. Surely he hadn't invaded her village for something so ridiculous. Nobody had seen the Avatar, or his cyclic embodiment the Airbenders, for over a hundred years. Not that he didn't still exist out there somewhere. But certainly the Water Tribe wouldn't be hiding him.

"You heard me, girl," he sneered. He gestured to the man standing on Sokka's head. The man nodded, then stepped back into a bending stance, aiming his fists pointedly in Sokka's direction.

"Wait!" Katara cried desperately. The sideburned man cocked his head expectantly. "I don't know where the Avatar is!" Her interrogator's face hardened. He didn't speak, only shot a pointed gaze to the soldier standing over Sokka. A flame burst around the man's fist, which he inched closer and closer to her brother's face. "Please, stop! We don't know anything!" Flames were licking impossibly close to Sokka's cheek. "Please!" she begged. "Please!" she screamed.

After a few beats, the first man flicked his wrist with a sigh. The flame near Sokka's face extinguished, and Katara felt her knees give out with relief. The snow crunched beneath her as she folded down in a slow collapse.

"I suppose this is another bust, eh, Admiral Zhao?" asked on of the soldiers.

The first man, who she supposed was Admiral Zhao, dropped his head in his hand. The other hand released a roaring fireball in the soldier's direction, which he fumbled to dodge. "Shut up, Lee!" the Admiral grunted through gritted teeth. He pulled his head up to scan around. Something was different in his gaze now, as if his purpose had shifted. Seeing nothing but primitive tents and barren tundra, his eyes dropped back down to Katara.

"Peasant, do you have any-" he started, but stopped. A smiled crept over his face, cold eyes running slowly down her body. Katara yelped to see his expression, and dropped back on her butt, covering her chest with her arms. Zhao was having none of it. He yanked her to her feet roughly, and ripped the fabric of her coat in half.

Katara shivered to have her skin exposed to the freezing Arctic air, but more than that she shivered to be exposed to the awful, calculating eyes running over her breast bindings.

"It's hard to tell under all those bulky furs, but you do have a figure on you, don't you, little peasant girl?" Zhao laughed coldly. Katara wrenched her arms this way and that, but Zhao's grip was iron. Desperately she brought his fingers to her teeth, gnawing ungracefully. Zhao yanked his hand, and her arms, away and above her head.

"A fighter too! The Fire Lord will love that," Zhao commented smugly. He tugged her close, his breath nauseatingly hot against her ear. "He likes to break his girls in."

Katara's eyes widened and she yanked herself away with all her strength. Zhao laughed again, releasing her arms so that she lost her balance and tumbled back into the snow. "Someone get her chained up. We're going home," he ordered. Before she knew it shackles had clicked around her wrists, and she was tossed over an armored shoulder. She writhed and screamed, but the villagers could only watch helplessly. Just as the bow of the ship started to rise she saw Sokka's eyes blink open. The look of failure and sorrow that flashed across his face as their gazes met shattered her heart into a million pieces. Then, the metal steadily ascended to block her view and finally eclipsed her in total darkness.


	2. Obtainment

A world away and a few months later, Admiral Zhao returned from another fruitless search. It was stupid, really, that the Fire Lord insisted on those journeys of his. Everyone knew that the Avatar's cycle had been broken. Of course, that was probably the sole reason Zhao was sent out on his ridiculous quest. The Fire Lord didn't want him around.

Despite Zuko's distaste for the naval officer, it was always intriguing to see what he brought back from his journeys. Polished jade, antique swords, battle strategy scrolls, and sometimes even wanted criminals often accompanied the man home. And so when Zhao came back from his trip to the South Pole, the prince had been waiting in the receiving room at his father's side.

Zuko never expected to see the girl.

She was ethereal, really, with her slight frame and large doe eyes. The Admiral had outfitted her in tight red rags that just barely covered her dark tan skin, and he led her into the chamber by yanking on a long chain attached to her shackled wrists. She looked bruised, exhausted, and scared. But when she was pushed before the Fire Lord, she did not cower. She squared her shoulders and looked him dead on.

Zuko had never seen anything so brave.

"Beautiful, isn't she? A gift, for your harem," the Admiral presented, bowing low. The girl stood tall, but Zuko detected that her shoulders were shaking. The Fire Lord considered her, stepping down off his throne.

In a flash Zuko saw all the other women that had been acquired by his father. Hollow eyes, bony wrists, and snarled hair wormed into his consciousness. He projected the same look onto this girl now- he saw her fearless frame wither into a hopeless slump, her brilliant azure eyes dim, her warm-toned hair become dull and dirty from lack of care. And suddenly, without thinking, he found himself blurt out, "Give her to me."

All eyes in the room turned to him in surprise. Zuko felt his face heat up. What the hell was he saying? He couldn't just demand that the Fire Lord hand over is own gift- that was crazy. Unconsciously he brushed the left side of his face with a fingertip.

"What was that, Prince Zuko?" the Fire Lord asked. His eyes sparked dangerously under furrowed brows.

Zuko couldn't back out of it now. Gulping, he continued, "Fire Lord Ozai. Father. Please allow me to accept this gift on your behalf." He bowed low, hoping to affect humbleness.

The Fire Lord looked over the girl again, cupping her chin thoughtfully in his hand. She jerked away with force, shooting ice daggers at him with her eyes. He smirked briefly, settling for ravaging the girl with his eyes. Zuko began to suspect he had made a fatal mistake. It seemed for a terrible moment that Ozai was too entranced by her to let her go. All at once, though, the consternated look fell from the Fire Lord's face, and Ozai through back his head to laugh.

"Very well, Zuko," he chuckled. Zuko let out a long breath. "I'll let you have her. It's about time you started taking an interest in filling your harem." Ozai picked up the chain from the floor and deposited it in Zuko's hands. "And this one's got some spirit. It should be fun to see you try to break her."

The girl's gaze shifted bewilderedly to Zuko's. She took in his regal clothes, his form, his scarred face. The surprise wore off quickly. Soon the look she gave him was one of completely unadulterated hatred.

Zuko blew out a sigh, stirring the small tufts of hair that refused to be pulled back in his topknot. Yep, he thought sarcastically, this was going to be real fun.


	3. Deception

Katara wouldn't let herself cry.

She didn't let herself cry when she had spent endless hours chained like an animal in the lightless dungeon cell below the deck of Zhao's ships. She didn't let herself cry when the soldiers leered at her, only curbed from enacting horrible things by the fear of the Fire Lord's wrath. She didn't let herself cry when she thought of the bleak future of slavery at the hands of a cruel master. She didn't let herself cry when she realized her body would never be completely hers. And she didn't let herself cry as the palace servants stripped her down, rubbed her in scented oil, and redressed her again.

And yet when Prince Zuko walked through the door to her chamber, the floodgates burst.

He seemed at a loss of how to react to her breakdown. Tentatively, he took a step toward her. "Don't you dare come near me!" Katara snarled between sobs, throwing a pillow in his direction. The prince caught it in his hands, frowning.

"I'm not gonna-" Prince Zuko started, but Katara wasn't listening. She picked up every pillow on the plush bed, one by one, and hurled them at him.

"Don't. You. Dare. Touch. Me," she punctuated each throw, tears streaming down her face. Prince Zuko stood there calmly and took it. And that was the final straw for Katara. "Why don't you let me fight you?" Wracking sobs shook her entire body and she curled up, defenseless in a ball.

Prince Zuko walked over to her. She screwed her eyes shut and felt the bed dip down as he sat down next to her. She expected, any moment, to feel groping hand or searching lips. But just because she was down did not mean she was out- if the Prince so much as breathed in her direction she would hit him with all she had. "I need you to do something," Zuko whispered to her. She laughed, but it came out garbled, almost like a hiccup.

"Yeah I'll bet you do," Katara spat, glaring at him through the blur of her tears. To her great surprise, Prince Zuko blushed fiercely.

"I-" the prince started. His eyes flashed then, and he glanced around searchingly, as if he had heard something. "Come here, wench," he said a little too loudly. But in the next second he whispered, "Just trust me, okay?"

Katara stared. Trust _him_? The heir to the throne of a kingdom who had obliterated her tribe, taken her mother, taken _her_- what in heaven's name made him think she was that stupid?

Prince Zuko started to kiss his hand, making loud and wet sucking noises. Katara backed up in confusion, pulling herself as far away on the bed as she could.

"What the hell-?!" she screeched, but Zuko slapped his other hand over her mouth. She shrieked indignantly, sinking her teeth into the soft flesh of his thumb.

"Ouch!" Prince Zuko yelped, bringing his hand into his chest. "Just shut up, will you?"

"Why should I-?" Katara demanded, but the prince clamped his hand over her mouth again.

"I'm trying to help you," he hissed softly, followed loudly by, "Bend over!"

Katara glowered at him, but he made no move to change her position. Instead, he started moaning, and bouncing up and down on the bed. The headboard scraped nosily against the wall as he did so. "Scream," he whispered to her, removing his hand from her mouth. She looked at him in dubious confusion.

"What-?"

"Scream!" he hissed forcefully. His golden eyes were begging now. Katara wasn't sure if that was what compelled her to comply. She took a deep breath, threw back her head, and let loose the full, agonizing power of her voice.

Prince Zuko moaned beneath the tormented noise, a low rumble weaving with her high pitched wailing. He held up a finger to her lips then, signaling her to be silent. But he kept going, emitting all varieties of moaning, and after a few long moments he nodded at her, silently asking her to join. And she did, trying to mimic his timing and pitch as they went. As time drug on he started panting too, and bouncing faster, so she followed suit. At length he released a bellowing roar, hovering above the bed, before dropping himself down with finality. Katara stopped with him.

Prince Zuko pushed her gently off the bed, and pulled the sheets back. He drew a knife from his back pocket, and Katara backed up a little fearfully. But the prince didn't turn it on her, instead he drew it across his thumb. Red blood beaded up, and Prince Zuko unceremoniously smeared it onto the sheets.


	4. Contempt

A slight pattering issued from the hallway, and it seemed to be receding. When it was finally quiet again, Zuko visibly relaxed. "Sorry I didn't get to explain myself first," he apologized, pulling the comforter back up over the bed.

The girl gave him a sideways look. She seemed to be calculating something, and suddenly her mouth fell open in a perfect 'o'. "You… You just pretended to have sex with me," she realized, shaking her head unbelievingly.

"Yeah…" Zuko admitted, blushing again. He had been so focused on fooling the spies outside that he'd forgotten to be embarrassed.

"Why… why would you _do_ that?" the girl asked. She was tense, not having moved from her position wedged far back into the headboard, knees tucked protectively to her chest. Her eyebrows were pulled together in a careful study.

"I was trying to help you," Zuko mumbled, his face so flushed now that he thought his blood vessels might burst.

"But it doesn't make any sense!" the girl hissed, tugging absently at her hair. "You can't be helping me. Whatever… I don't know- _this_- is, I'm not falling for it."

Zuko's eyes snapped to hers. He hadn't expected her to swear undying fealty or anything, but he HAD expected her to be grateful. "What, you wanted to be left for my father?" he asked with a slight bite to his tone, "I've seen what he does to women…"

The girl harrumphed, the side of her lip curling up in contempt. "Oh, like you're any better," she dismissed scathingly.

Zuko caught her eyes and stalked up to her. Her own widened, and she attempted to scramble backwards, but was already occupying the furthermost point on the bed. Zuko shoved the knobbed wood of the headboard on either side of her, caging her between his arms. She balled her fists, staring back at him with dilated eyes and panting breath. They held like this for a long moment, each waiting for the other to break.

Eventually the girl's eyes slipped down a little, and that was all Zuko needed. He pushed himself away, stooping down to gather the pillows strewn across the room. One, he attempted to hand to the girl on the bed. She glared at him murderously, so Zuko grudgingly took it back to add to the two long columns he was arranging on the floor.

"What the hell are you doing now?" the girl demanded after a time, her curiosity for the moment winning over animosity.

He gestured at the pillows, explaining, "Making a bed, what's it look like?"

"You're joking," the girl stated crossing her arms in a gesture of defiance.

"Um… no," Zuko said, raising his good eyebrow. Shouldn't that have been obvious? A man spends the night with his concubine, that's just how it goes. "But don't worry, I'll just be on the floor," he reassured. "Can I take the comforter?"

The girl looked once at the comforter, then at Zuko, then at the comforter again. Without warning, she hurled it at him, making sure to yank it slightly taught before letting go so that it would slap him like an oversized whip. He seethed quietly, but didn't retaliate. He only flicked the comforter out over his makeshift mattress and creased it down neatly. He then thought better of that, and threw the comforter over the side. Sliding onto his mountain of pillows, he waited to be settled before he pulled the comforter properly over him.

"Well, um, good night," he wished her awkwardly as he extinguished the lights with his fire bending.

She snorted, turning pointedly over.

As the night wore on, and he assumed that she thought he had fallen asleep, he heard rather than saw the girl slip gingerly under the sheets above him. She tossed and turned a few times, her body unable to decide what position was comfortable. As Zuko's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he caught a flash of azure from her eyes.

"What's your name?" he remembered to ask.

She was stunned silent for a moment, he was sure, but as the moment stretched it became clear that she was purposefully not answering. Zuko let out a long snort of frustration. What had possessed him to save this girl? She was stubborn, hated his guts, and most of all, a liability. Just because one spy was fooled by their elaborate soundscape didn't mean another wouldn't be, and then he could very well be branded as an enemy sympathizer- or worse.

Well, it wouldn't do to call her 'the girl' all the time, anyhow. He thought perhaps he should make up a name for her. Unfortunately, he wasn't very good at that particular skill. When he was little and his mother had tasked him with naming an injured turtleduck, for example, Zuko had dubbed it 'Turtly'. Now, the names he thought up were equally unoriginal. Ty Lee, Mai, Azula- they were all names of actual girls he knew. Zuko caught another flash of eyes as the one above him turned over again with a huff. Blue. Zuko nodded to himself. That was fitting, somehow. And as the moon rose steadily in the sky, the two unlikely companions drifted down into slumber.


	5. Disappointment

Katara awoke the next morning to an empty room. It shouldn't have surprised her; she had always been the last to rise aboard Zhao's ship. Somehow, though, it left her feeling empty too.

She walked out into the center of the prince's seraglio. It was a very fine space, finer than anything she'd ever seen in her sheltered life. The walls were covered with ornate tapestries, the floors with intricately woven rugs. The ceilings were high and vaulted, the windows equally grand. But the air was filled with dust. The place was dull with disuse, and her lonely movements echoed through the vacant halls. It occurred to her, with great astonishment, that perhaps, she was the prince's only concubine.

She wandered the halls, peeking into all of the rooms within the complex. It seemed that her own room was the closest to the entrance, and also the largest and most decorated. She supposed that meant something, but didn't really know what.

Despite the enormity of the building, it was only a few hours before she had exhausted the hundreds of rooms. When she reached her own chamber again, she was surprised to find a hot meal steaming on a tray on the dresser. It seemed she wouldn't have to leave the seraglio in search of food after all.

As she began to eat the door to her chamber swung open. Assuming it to be the Prince Zuko, Katara didn't look up until she saw the distinctly feminine shape to the legs at the foot of her bed.

"Hello, little Water Tribe girl," the women greeted, an appraising smile on her face. Katara nearly choked on her rice. "I wanted to see what kind of women got ZuZu's panties so in a bunch he had to steal her from Daddy. I must say, you're rather disappointing."

Katara put down her lunch. She could almost feel waves of malice rolling off of the women in front of her, and she wanted to be ready to defend herself, even though she wasn't sure what she could do.

"I mean look at you," the women continued, flipping one of her long bangs, "You're so tiny and pathetic."

Katara curbed the compulsion to glare at her. Every instinct in Katara's body was telling her to act submissive, avert her eyes, pretend to be meek. But she couldn't follow that instinct. Instead she looked the women in the eyes, only just able to keep her expression unchallenging and neutral.

The women's eyebrows raised, and she brought a thoughtful hand to her mouth. "Or perhaps not so pathetic after all…"

A servant came rushing in then, bowing deeply. "Princess. Your presence is requested in the throne room," the man said. He flitted his eyes in brief curiosity over to Katara, but soon refocused on his mistress.

"I suppose we'll have to do this again some other time, hm, peasant girl?" the Princess said. She followed the servant out, waving long, manicured nails before disappearing behind the door. Katara held off a chill as the women's maniacal laughter resounded down the hall.


	6. Reflection

Zuko bit down hard on his lip to keep himself silent. The torches directly behind him were flaring, but it was too much to hope for to control them as well as himself.

"Be calm, nephew," soothed the large man to his right. Zuko pressed his clenched fists into his thighs, his nails digging into the flesh of his palms. He was trying, really- but how _could_ he be calm? How could _anyone_ be calm? What they were discussing in this war meeting, it was unconsciousable.

But then, they were always unconsciousable.

It was just as well that his father did not notice Zuko's vehement disapproval for the plan being put forward. He knew what such an opinion would gain him- or what it wouldn't; that is why he did not speak it aloud. Nothing would change. No lives would be saved, no towns safe from raizing, no troops given proper preparation time.

"And then we should burn the fields." the general continued, oblivious of the fire burning in Zuko's heart, "They can't breed resistance rats when there's nothing to feed them."

Zuko couldn't hold his position anymore. He leaped to his feet, striking a fierce silhouette against the flames leaping behind him. "I am not feeling well. I think I shall retire," he managed to grit out formerly before whirling on his heel for the door. The man beside him stood up as well.

"I am afraid I am not feeling well either. Let us pray we are not getting sick," the man excused himself politely, bowing before following Zuko out.

Zuko stalked down the hall, not turning around to acknowledge the man. "I don't need you to follow me, Uncle Iroh," he fumed.

"No, you do not. But I wanted to," his uncle responded gently. Zuko slowed, stopping as an understanding hand came to rest on his shoulder. Zuko went tense beneath it, but did not attempt to remove it from its place.

They stood in silence for a while, both reflecting on a past that neither liked to acknowledge. "I know you hate the war meetings, Prince Zuko," his uncle said finally, "But perhaps it is better you know what you are inheriting."

Zuko squeezed his eyes shut, turning his face away. "I hate that there's nothing I can do," he alleged heavily. It went beyond just the war meetings. He truly felt low in that moment, powerless and incapable. Uncle Iroh patted his shoulder.

"On the contrary, Prince Zuko," he refuted, a note of deeper meaning interwoven, "You can do everything."


	7. Calling

Katara gazed into the water basin on her dresser. It was an odd thing, to see it colored so deeply, a dark blue sheen dancing over brilliant golds, vibrant reds and rich blacks. Back home in the arctic, it was often a dazzling azure, or if it was deep water, conciliatory of murky greens. Never had she imagined that being transported across the world would have robbed her of the familiarity of even her own element.

It figured, she supposed. The Fire Nation had taken everything else away. Why not her water?

But that was not the problem at hand. She could feel the water calling her, however transformed it may have been. It was a thrill racing through her veins, a whooshing drive that pulled her in as inescapably as the tides. Bringing a tentative hand up, she answered her blood's cries.

A tiny droplet floated up first, hovering just below the apex of her middle and ring fingers. She let out an excited gasp, letting the sensation rush through her. Suddenly the whole basin flew up, exploding around her face. Startled, she lost her grip on the water, and it splashed violently back down, creating a puddle on the vanity. Her face and hair drenched, she looked up to the mirror to wipe herself off. She froze as her eyes met a pair of golden ones standing in the door. It was abruptly clear to her the danger she had put herself in. This was the skill that had hundreds of tribesmen systematically eradicated. This was the skill that had killed her own mother.

Prince Zuko slammed the door shut quickly, rushing forward to grab Katara's shoulders. "You're a- Why did you- You left the freaking door open!" he shrieked, shaking her, "Do you know what would have happened if somebody saw you? _Did _anyone see you?"

Katara's throat clenched shut; she could only stare wide-eyed at Prince Zuko. She was in shock, unable to comprehend his reaction. He shook her again, and she could only shake her head no. Angrily, he shoved her away, grabbing a fistful of his hair. "Of all the people I had to go and save," he muttered, punching the vanity.

"You didn't- But- I'm a Waterbender," Katara managed when she finally regained her senses, "Why would _you_ want to cover that up?" She drew herself tall, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Agni!" Prince Zuko groaned, "Is it so hard to believe I'm trying to help you?!"

"Yes!" Katara screamed, her voice cracking. Zuko sat down heavily on the floor. He started to laugh.

"Ha. Haha. Hahahaha-"

"What's so funny?" Katara demanded uncomfortably.

Prince Zuko's eyes turned serious, and he punched a ball of fire at the wall across the room. A tapestry lit, and the flames licked out from the wounded center until they engulfed the entire thing in ash.

"Nothing," the prince replied.


	8. Indictment

Zuko was well and truly screwed, and he knew it. He was done. Finished. Kaput.

Ever since the fateful Agni Kai that had taken his face, he knew he was in danger. Massive danger. The political sharks had smelled blood in the water, and they would exploit any further weakness he showed. They would exploit him, provided his father let him live past any other transgression. He had Azula after all, and she was perfect.

Now, Zuko had shown, or rather faked, a fatal weakness in women. Noblemen's daughters were sure to be thrown in his direction now, more so than ever before. The number of spies would increase, because now that he did something out of the ordinary it would be suspected that he was up to something. With that increase would come an increased probability that something he said or did would indict him of some imaginary crime. The girl he'd rescued hated him, which he could deal with, but was likely to refuse to cooperate in her saving, which he couldn't. And to top it all off she was a WATERBENDER, which would doom them both to death if she failed to hide it.

"Zuzu," a voice cooed from down the hall. Yep, that sealed it. Zuko cursed silently, vowing that if he wasn't already dead by the end of this conversation, he'd end it himself.

"What do you WANT, Azula?" he growled wearily.

"Oh, is that any way to treat your darling younger sister? Really, Zuzu, you should treat your family more kindly," she admonished, clicking her tongue. Zuko rolled his eyes so far back he figured they'd get stuck there.

"What do you WANT, Azula?" he repeated.

"Oh, nothing. I just noticed, you've wandered down this particular hall again." She smiled, her canines gleaming unnaturally in the torchlight. "I understand of course. It's your conscience that brings you down here. You still feel guilty, don't you?" Azula sighed theatrically, twirling one long bang around her finger.

Zuko froze, taking in the surroundings as he hadn't before. His heart sank as his eyes ran over the gently warped doorframe and the patterns curving through the mahogany door. "You…" he tried to accuse, but no further words or reasons came. Azula's assessment hit close to home, too close to refute. He closed his eyes as she turned lightly away, chuckling to herself. Zuko found himself calling up an old mantra. _Azula always lies. Azula always lies…_


	9. Enemy

Katara was staring into space when Prince Zuko entered, holding a tray of tea.

"Want some-" he started.

"No," she punctuated.

Prince Zuko threw the tray down on the vanity with a clatter. "You and I are going to get something straight, Blue," he snarled, whirling on her. "I. Am. Not. Your. Enemy."

"Oh?" she shot back. "You're not my enemy, huh? I suppose you're going to renounce your title and ride away with me on a white panther-horse to live in the South Pole? Or, are you going to take the throne by force and stop the war? Ooh, I know, you're going to bring my mother back!"

Something odd crossed over his face with that last one. "Your mother?" he repeated.

"Yes, my mother," she snipped, exasperated. A chill swept over her and she rubbed her arms, looking away. It was too much to give that away, she shouldn't have told him-

"I lost my mother too," he revealed lowly.

Katara blinked at him, her hands reaching unconsciously for her necklace. Of course she only rubbed bare skin. Zhao hadn't let her keep it. "…How?" she asked after a time.

He curled his fingers over the scar on his left cheek. "She tried to protect me."

Katara gasped, her mind's eye taking her back to That Day, black snow eddying all around her. She fled into their tented home, hoping to find safety and warm and to warn her mother. But the man was already there, red horns thrusting off his helmet to pierce the air. _Just let her go, and I'll give you the information you need. _ A large, amber eye, lidded in an almost reptilian way. _Mommy, I'm scared_.

Katara squeezed her eyes shut and turned away. Her emotions were growing over her thoughts like so many heavy-leafed vines, constricting and obscuring them until the objections she was trying desperately to hold on to were gone. This prince, this scarred and intrusive prince, he lost his mother too. He lost his mother because she needed to protect him, the same way her own mother had protected her. They both carried the guilt and the anger and the blame. They were the same. And… really he'd never done anything to personally incite her anger. Actually it did seem like he had tried to save her. "How is it that I trust the face of the enemy?" she mused aloud.

"I told you. I never was one," Prince Zuko responded.


	10. Trust

Zuko could feel a presence dogging him through the palace. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence. Absently he wondered if all the palace spies were truly awful at remaining undetected or if he was gifted at detecting them. Didn't really matter, he supposed, the net effect was the same. They always knew where he was, but he also always knew where they were too.

He opened the door to Blue's chamber. She looked up- it seemed he interrupted her from an intensive study of her left palm. "Prince Zuko," she greeted, moving to get to her feet. Zuko shut the door behind him and walked quickly to trap her shoulders.

"You remember the first night?" he whispered in her ear. Her hair tickled his nose.

He could _feel_ her blushing, the skin beneath his palms warmed a few degrees. "We're not gonna-" she whispered, but her nudged her to the side and started with his absurd hand-kissing. She groaned, but that was just as well, since it helped the effect.

After a few rounds of bouncing and moaning, they determined that the spy had gone. Both laid back, panting. Zuko found it somewhat amusing that it was nearly as tiring to pretend than to actually do anything.

"So," the girl said after a while, "Blue, huh?"

To which Zuko responded, "What?"

She rolled her eyes, turning to prop herself up on an elbow facing him. "Yesterday, when you walked in, you called me Blue," she said.

"Well, you never did give me your name," Zuko pointed out hopefully.

"True," Blue acknowledged, tossing a lock of dark hair over her shoulder. Zuko waited a second, but it seemed that was all she was going to give. He smiled ruefully.

"I thought you trusted me now," he coaxed reproachfully.

"Maybe," she intoned. Zuko fought the urge to slap his forehead.

"So that's it? You're not going to tell me?" he pushed.

She sighed heavily, rolling to face away. "…It's not that I _don't_ trust you," she admitted hesitantly.

"Uh-huh," he responded drily.

"I just… it's the only thing I have left that's mine," she finished. Zuko stared at her back in surprise. Really, it should have occurred to him. Though, she did share that rather personal note about her mother… Still. If it was the only thing she had, he wasn't going to take it away from her.

"It's okay. I like 'Blue'," he fumbled after a while.

"Yeah," she responded wistfully, "Me too."


	11. Understanding

At night, Katara dreamed.

It was always the same. The sky turned dark, ominously dark, and then collapsed down to earth in a choking cloud of black-specked miasma. She felt a drop in her gut, because something was coming, she knew something was coming, and it was bad. She would rush to find Sokka and Gran-Gran, but the air was too thick. A metallic hiss would reverberate through her bones, and she'd turn and there would be Sokka's eyes, those mournful, broken eyes, punched through by fire. A metal arm would grab her around the waist and she'd smell a blast of salted sea before everything went black and then she'd scream and scream-

And Prince Zuko would be there, fresh nail marks on his skin, holding her wrists and shushing her.

"Sorry," she'd say, pulling her wrists back and rubbing the moisture from her eyes.

"Shh, Blue," he'd say, sitting at her bedside in a silent vigil until she once again fell asleep.

* * *

Zuko was surprised to see the relief on Blue's face when he walked into her room that night. But he supposed being alone all day did that to you. "I don't think I was followed today. We can skip the performance," Zuko informed her, gathering the pillows from the remade bed and dumping them onto the floor. Blue nodded, sinking down into the bed.

"Is there something I'm supposed to do during the day? I felt so… idle," Blue asked conversationally. Zuko looked up from his bed-making in surprise.

"Um, I guess I've never really thought about it," Zuko admitted, rubbing nervously at the back of his neck. "Concu- Servants… like you… really only have um, 'duties' at night, I think." He blushed.

"Huh," Blue replied, "That's so… unexpectedly boring."

Zuko raised his eyebrow at her. "What in Agni's name could you mean?" he asked. He couldn't imagine that being forced into giving up her body was boring in any way. Not that she actually performed that duty, but still.

"I'm always bored, all day," Blue answered, "I mean, on Zhao's ship I didn't have anything to do, either, but that was kind of like a waiting period- I didn't _expect_ to have to do anything. And then when I got here, I thought, this is where my new life begins. But then it almost, I don't know, didn't."

Zuko turned to appraise the captive girl. She was lying on her back, hands raised toward the ceiling in an explanatory gesture. Feeling his gaze, she shifted to look back at him. "Does that make any sense?" she asked.

"Perfect sense," Zuko responded, surprised to find he understood where she was coming from. He tilted his head in thought. It wasn't customary to send concubines out to do other servant's work, but surely he could figure out something. "Do you want me to find you something to do?"

"Well I don't know. I guess," she replied. "If it's not too much trouble."

"Maybe I can bring some work to you," he thought aloud, getting into his bed. "I'll think about it." And with that the lights went out for the night.


	12. Insanity

"Zuko, I'm going crazy!" Katara complained, tugging at her hair so violently that it hurt. But the pain was rhythmic, and so somewhat soothed the roiling tides within her.

"Blue, please stop doing that," he burst out, flicking his wrist in a strong arch at her tugging hands. He was wincing, probably imagining the pain pinching at the roots of his own hair.

"I can't!" she cried in frustration, yanking harder. Zuko grabbed her wrist and held it immobile. The rest of her body writhed, and she felt tears prick at the back of her eyes.

"What's wrong with you?" he demanded, exasperated. She whimpered. The basin of water was calling to her, loudly and insistently. But as she refused it, she started to feel other, quieter whispers. The tea left on the vanity. The sweat on her brow. The moisture in the air. The blood flowing through their bodies.

"I have to!" she screeched, and finally, _finally,_ the water flew to her hands. It eddied around her skin, cooling it, and the pressure that had built up in her chest fractured and dissipated.

Her relief vanished when she saw the crease form between Zuko's eyebrows. His mouth was slightly open, a remnant of surprise, but the rest of his face had moved on to recognize the gravity of the situation.

Katara let the water splash down.

"Aw hell," Zuko groaned, pressing a palm into the soaked mattress.

"I could try to put it back," Katara offered, biting her lip. Usually when she did things like that Sokka ended up with a frozen limb, though.

"Don't," Zuko replied, holding up a hand. He sat heavily on the end of the bed, seemingly weighing something.

"This is bad, isn't it?" Katara stated, gazing uneasily at the dark spot she'd made on the mattress.

He looked at her for a long moment. "Yeah."

* * *

So it was decided, after much bickering, that Katara could only waterbend in Zuko's presence. That she could waterbend at all was acquiescence on Zuko's part. Honestly they'd both be a lot safer if she refrained from the art altogether. But she was adamant, and truthfully he knew that it would eat away at her spirit to be denied something so integral to her being. And preserving that being was what had gotten him into this mess in the first place.

Therefore their nightly routine expanded. Whenever they knew someone was in the hall, they made a point to pretend to be doing certain things, and when there wasn't anyone, Katara practiced to the flickering light of a candle. It was stunning to watch. Her movements, though untrained, reminded Zuko of the serpentine weaving of a snake charmer he had once seen come to court. It was graceful and fluid with the promise of danger. Sometimes, when she embedded sheets of ice in the wall or sliced clean through the wooden floorboards, it was downright deadly.

But Zuko never stopped her. In fact, the more he got to know her, the less he wanted to stop her. She had felt so powerless the day she had been taken, standing behind a brother and finally being ripped away from all she knew and loved. Bile rose in his throat to think of the things Zhao had done. He understood her drive to feel stronger. He felt it himself.


	13. Orders

"We're going out," Zuko informed Katara, banging open the door and throwing a bundle of fabric on the bed. She had been mending the seam in an old pair of pants, and she jabbed her finger with the needle at his loud entrance.

"Out? Out where? I thought concu- I thought _I_ wasn't supposed to leave?" Katara questioned, putting her mending down to suck on her wounded finger.

"Yeah, well," Zuko shrugged, "I can't stand these public appearances, and I don't want to do it alone." He motioned to the bundle he threw at her. "Get dressed," he told her, turning to leave.

"Wait. Who said I wanted to go?" Katara questioned, stopping him in his tracks. Her lips quirked up to see the confusion weaving through the prince's face. Even though he had been the one to establish himself as friend rather than master, it always threw him when she challenged his orders.

"I figured, since you'd been cooped up so long, you'd jump at the chance," Zuko sputtered, turning back towards her, "Was I wrong?"

"You should have _asked_," Katara chided, "But no, you weren't wrong."

Zuko threw his hands up in the air and stalked out, eliciting a giggle from Katara.

Katara unfolded the bundle the Prince had given her and promptly dropped it like it burned her. "Zuko, I can't possibly wear this!" she called through the door, leaning down to gingerly pick it up again. It was the finest fabric she'd ever seen, excepting the regalia that often adorned Zuko.

"Why not?" he called back, a tad impatiently.

"It's-" she ran her hands over it reverently, "It's too fine."

A strangled grunt sounded from the other side of the door. "Of course it's fine. You're a prince's… _guest_… you have to look presentable."

"I'm not putting it on," Katara insisted stubbornly. It was too easy to ruin it. A speck of mud, a hidden splinter…

"Don't make me make you," Zuko warned.

"Ha! Like you would," Katara snorted disbelievingly, refolding the gown with care.

"I could," Zuko argued. She could just see his aggravated scowl.

"Right. But you won't."

"Is that a dare, Blue?"

"Uh, no?"

Zuko groaned, a thud sounding that was reminiscent of a body falling against the door. "Oh come on! I had that specially made for you!"

Katara froze, then smoothed her palms over the light fabric. "Really?" she asked. The door handle jerked and an irritated yet sheepish face poked in.

"Just… just put it on, will you?" he demanded.

Katara scoffed, but she was gazing at the gown longingly. If it was made for her, and it was only for a few hours, surely... But Zuko wasn't ordering her into it. "Say please," she demanded back.

Zuko just knocked his head against the doorframe on the way out.

* * *

Blue's normal attire was loose and baggy, more like a bathrobe than actual clothing. This suited her supposed role in the palace, as it came off easily. But if she were to leave the palace, an eventuality that Zuko foresaw, he knew she needed something more formal. So he had requested a few outfits be made. Even so, he had not at all been involved in the design of the things. When Blue stepped out, he gasped. Long red sleeves graced her slender arms, and the bodice followed the curves of her torso with delicious accuracy. Fabric clung sweetly to her waist, from which the cloth flowed out in a wispy cascade. She looked every inch the noblewoman. Zuko opened and closed his mouth like a fish.

Blue laughed, spinning in bliss. "You've really outdone yourself, Prince. This is _beautiful_," she breathed, hugging herself.

Zuko wanted to contradict her. It was Blue herself that was beautiful; the dress only accentuated it. But he swallowed the compliment, knowing it did neither of them any good. "Let's get going," he said instead, holding out a hand for her. Blue took it without hesitation.

They reached the front of the palace together, inevitably encountering Azula and two other girls. One was bright and bubbly, bouncing on her toes as she chattered in her bright pink clothes. The other was tall and lanky and appeared disinterested to the point of hostility. "I thought you said you couldn't stand public appearances _alone_," Blue hissed in Zuko's ear, her eyes cutting toward the Princess.

"I thought we got over your innate hatred for Fire Nation royalty," Zuko whispered back, surprised.

Blue smacked him lightly. "We've met," she explained as Azula and her posse moved forward to greet them.

"Why hello, Zuzu," Azula purred in cold delight, "And look, you brought your pet."

"I might as well be alone," Zuko grumbled in Blue's ear. Understanding flashed in her eyes, and she squeezed his hand lightly before letting go.

"Ty Lee, Mai, meet Zuzu's Water Tribe tramp. Water Tribe tramp, Ty Lee and Mai," Azula continued, choosing to ignore their little exchange. But Zuko didn't pretend for a minute that it had gone past her. Neither had her cutting remark gone past him. He felt his hands retract into tight fists. Blue put a restraining hand on his shoulder, but her eyes were blazing too.

"Hi!" Ty Lee exclaimed, bouncing again for emphasis.

"Hi," Mai deadpanned.

"Call me Blue," Blue asserted, her voice dropped slightly in pitch.

"Whatever," Mai replied, flicking her wrist dismissively.

Ty Lee squealed and latched onto Blue's free arm. Blue blanched and backed up into Zuko, but Ty Lee was completely oblivious of her discomfort. "Blue! I love it! It suits you because, you know, your eyes. Oh, I'm so excited to go out today it's going to be so much fun!"

Zuko pulled Blue into his chest, severing her contact with Ty Lee. She gazed up at him thankfully, and his lips lifted in an unconscious smile. After a moment, however, a prickling sensation started on the back of his neck. Zuko looked up to see Azula looking between the two of them with a wicked grin. Frowning, he released Blue.

"Let's just get this over with," Zuko muttered, his face heating up. Ty Lee jumped up and down, clapping gleefully.


	14. Proposition

_A/N: If you haven't seen it already I updated Chapter 13: Orders by essentially tagging a second related chapter at the end of it. It was going to be stuck at the beginning of this chapter, but then I realized it would just be too long. (But it also meant I had to postpone publishing this first section which I finished at the same time as that last section. Sorry, it's here now, don't kill me XD) And to all you United States-ers happy 4__th__ of July tomorrow. To all those from the __**35!**__ (holy gosh) other countries who have viewed this story, have a nice day ;)_

Zuko and Katara slid into a palanquin together. Despite being built for royalty, it was rather cramped quarters. Katara's leg was halfway into Zuko's lap, her shoulders were wedged uncomfortably between the Zuko and the wall. Had she not been so thoroughly stuck, though, she probably would have fallen out when the servants hoisted them unevenly off the ground.

"How are three people fitting in Azula's?" she asked breathlessly. Her rib cage was compressed.

"They don't. Ty Lee and Mai walk," Zuko wheezed back.

"But-" Katara began.

"You're not walking," Zuko interjected firmly.

Katara made to move her arms as if to cross them, but couldn't. She pouted. "Why not? I can't breathe," she complained.

"If I can't walk, you can't walk either," Zuko huffed.

"What? You're the Fire Prince, you can do what-"

"I can't walk."

"If you say so. But I'm getting out." Katara squirmed, limbs smacking into Zuko from the force required to free them.

"Hey! Blue! Don't- I mean," Zuko grit his teeth, "_Please_ stay in here with me?" Katara's defiant frown paused on her face. Zuko was pleading with his eyes. The rocking of the palanquin caused a large swath of light to move back and forth across his angular features. The sharp slope of his nose led into the curve of his parted lips.

Katara turned her face away, feeling abnormally warm. "Fine," she puffed. But at that moment the palanquin jerked to a stop.

After a short struggle Zuko managed to poke his head out the side. Azula and her posse were standing outside, in the midst of an immense marketplace.

"Are you coming or not, Dumb-dumb?" she called up to him sweetly.

"We're not scheduled to stop anywhere," Zuko called back.

"I ordered it. Is that scheduled enough?" she answered curtly, flipping a long bang. Ty Lee was getting antsy, her eyes trained on a nearby jewelry stand. Zuko groaned, motioning for the servants to put the palanquin down, and helped Katara out.

The smell hit her first, followed sharply by the dazzling colors and feverish noise. It was an overall spicy scent, wafting in dizzying strength from booths and passerby alike. Everything was red, or gold, lent impossible hues by the sun bearing over fabrics billowing and snapping in the wind.

As soon as Zuko and Katara's feet hit pavement Ty Lee made a mad dash for the jewelry stand, followed by an eye-rolling Mai. But Azula stayed close, her eyes gleaming in the most ominous way. "Let's head to the firebending performance, Zuzu," she suggested, pointing towards the bursts of flame that were shooting up ahead. He shrugged and started towards it, but Azula caught Katara's arm. "Blue, was it?," she asked, low enough that Zuko could not catch it over the noise of the crowd, "I have a proposition for you."

Katara watched anxiously as Zuko disappeared into the crowd, oblivious of the fact that the two women supposedly following were at a standstill. She was completely out of her element here in this bustling Fire Nation market. She was not only clueless about what her own behavior should be, but she was obviously foreign. Having Zuko at her side had afforded her a sense of comfort, and even adventure. Now, detained with Azula, she felt only an uneasy helplessness.

"It's quite clear that my brother trusts you. I think we can use that to our advantage," Azula continued. She pulled out a smooth dagger from the folds of her dress and began to pointedly clean her fingernails with it.

Katara backed up a step, brushing against the throng of people entrapping her. "What do you mean?" she asked warily.

"I mean, we can help each other out. My brother… he's not fit to be the Fire Lord. Nothing against poor little Zuzu personally, it's just he was born with a superior younger sibling. Someone who really understands how to rule people. All I need you to do," Azula brandished the weapon in her hands with a cruel smile, "Is vacate his position."

"You… You want me to kill Zuko?!" Katara exclaimed, bringing a hand to her chest.

"Tch. Kill is such a harsh word. You'd be doing him a favor, really. It'd be so stressful for him to take the throne, it'd probably give him a heart condition before too long anyway. And you'd get something in return of course," Azula explained dismissively.

"I don't want anything from you," Katara grit out, her body sliding automatically into a bending stance. Luckily Azula was not familiar with her invented forms, lest she be ousted for a Waterbender.

"Oh but I think you do. Your freedom, for one," Azula offered off-handedly. Katara felt her guard slip. "Yes, see, I knew that would catch your attention," Azula said with a smirk.

It was shameful, but for a split second she considered Azula's offer. Her freedom! She could go back to Sokka and Gran-Gran and the rest of the Water Tribe. Her friend, her family, her home! It was all within her grasp and yet-

"I could _never_ kill Zuko," Katara rejected, an intense wave of emotion surging within her. Zuko was the one thing in this land of terror that was good, was kind, was always there for her. She could never betray him like that; she could _never_ hurt him. He was her world here.

Azula looked at her peculiarly, as this sentiment must have showed on her face. "Ha! That's rich!" she burst out suddenly, "You're in love with him! Zuko! And the Water Tribe peasant! Ahahaha!"

"I am NOT," Katara denied automatically. She'd never thought about him in that light, honestly, but now that she thought about it he did have the most alluring of smiles-

"I bet you haven't even thought about escaping," Azula went on, "Here it is, your perfect opportunity: you're out in a crowded market with no guards and you've been too wrapped up in Zuzu to even think about yourself!" Katara rocked back on her heels, her bending stance forgotten. She really hadn't! It was unbelievable. Just a couple months ago it would have been the first thing on her mind-

"And think about it. If Zuzu was really such a great guy he'd free you himself, right? What are you to him? Just a little Water Tribe _plaything_, that's what," Azula persisted. Katara bristled. Zuko was just trying to protect her- right? He couldn't set her free because it was dangerous… for him. Wasn't that selfish? It was her _freedom _they were talking about here. And what was the worst he could get? A slap on the wrist?

"Here. Take the knife. I know you're smart enough not to use it on me. Think about my offer," Azula finished, holding the weapon out with ease. As if it were no more than a trinket. As if the prospect of murdering her brother in cold blood meant nothing to her at all.

"What's to stop me from just telling him about all this?" Katara questioned, blocking the exchange with a raised forearm.

Azula laughed darkly, giving her an appraising look out of the corner of her eye. "Well, I had hoped it wouldn't come to that. I heard you have a brother. I happen to have a battalion stationed just North of your old Water Tribe hellhole- excuse me, _home_. The Southern Raiders, maybe you've heard of them? With a single notice I can have your entire tribe decimated, with special care to eliminate… certain members." The knife dropped heavily into Katara's hands. "You think about it some more, _Blue_. But remember, I don't like to be kept waiting. And we wouldn't want something tragic to happen while I'm getting bored, hm?"

In a daze, Katara slipped the dagger into her robes. Zuko appeared through the throng just then, looking quite irked. But the underlying concern was apparent to Katara, who had learned how to read him, and it softened her heart.

Could she really kill this man? For Sokka?


	15. Ownership

The return to the palace was stiff and awkward- and completely baffling. Here was this girl, who had grown to trust him over her months in captivity, had grown to be a friend even, and now she wouldn't even look at him. Zuko could not for the life of him figure out his transgression. But seeing as Blue had spent a decent span of time separated from him with Azula, it was likely that he didn't actually do anything at all. Azula was probably just messing with their relationship because she liked to destroy what was important to him.

Still, Zuko had not expected to be slammed into the wall.

"You jerk!" Blue shrieked, her eyes narrowed and menacing.

"I didn't do anything!" Zuko responded, holding up his hands. The last thing he wanted was to fight her.

The water basin on the vanity rattled as its contents came streaming out, swirling with the violence of a storm around Blue's hands. "That's exactly the point!" she cried, shoving him by the chest back into the wall. Her hands left two damp prints on his shirt. "You say you're protecting me, but from what? What Zuko?! I want my freedom, Zuko. I want to go home!"

Zuko raised his body temperature slightly, evaporating the cold water against his skin into steam. He moved around Blue to the side, but did not attempt to switch their positions so that she was closer to the wall. "You think I'm holding out on you? Is that it?" he asked darkly. She paused, suspended between anger and trust with such anguish that it showed on her face. "You think that I can just demand something from my father- you- and let it go? Effectively depriving him of a new toy for spite? At least, that's how he'd see it. You don't demand something from my father in the first place! That in itself was dangerous. You want to know how I got this scar?"

Blue's eyebrows furrowed, some of the water starting to drip out of the swirling typhoons in her hands as she shook her head in denial. "No. No, that doesn't make any sense. You're a Prince…"

"My FATHER gave me this scar. I challenged a military decision he made, a decision which involved sending green troops into battle with a superior Earth Kingdom regimen as a distraction. The slaughter of hundreds of our own, for a distraction! Men who were loyal to their country, who had mothers and fathers and families, who trusted their officers to lead them into battles in which they had a chance of winning, let alone surviving! And because I spoke out…" Zuko's throat constricted. In his mind's eye he could yet see the flames bearing down on him as a roaring, hungry maw surging from the powerful and precise muscles of his father's arm.

"Zuko…" Blue breathed. She transferred all her water to one hand as she tentatively rested the other on the scarred side of his face.

Zuko flinched first, but relaxed himself into her touch. The scar tissue wasn't nearly as sensitive as the rest of his skin, as most of it contained deadened nerves, but the pressure still registered in the deeper layers of his cheek. It was the most intimate feeling, as if she were reaching inside of him.

He moved his gaze to hers. Her eyes were curved in anguish, her full lips quivering under sorrowful brows. A sudden urge to kiss her struck. Unconsciously he found himself shifting forward, his palms finding their way to her waist. Her breathing hitched as he brought his face closer…

And just hovered there. Blue let out an angry groan, her eyes hardening as her hand slid to his chest, not quite pushing him away but keeping him at an arm's length. "Why don't you just do it?" she asked with a shaky bite.

"Because. I own you," Zuko answered softly. He dropped his head into the crook of her neck in defeat, pulling her tight into his arms. Despite being away from the Pole for so long, she still smelled of the sea.

* * *

_A/N: Haha I got you didn't I? XP This scene has been in my head forever and I am so excited to finally have gotten around to writing it. Expected to write in Kat's POV, because as with most of the story, I envisioned it from her mind. I'm just more familiar with her character. But it was Zuko's turn for a chappie, so that happened. It was really interesting to explore from his angle, though._

_I have the next few chapters floating around semi-formed in my brain, thanks to an idea I had in the shower. Have you ever noticed that's when the best ideas happen? In the shower, or when you're desperately trying to fall asleep? Anyway, don't worry, Zuko and Katara will kiss for real eventually... But in the mean time some really fun things are going to happen in terms of story/ character development._


	16. Intent

The blade in Katara's hand shook. When it seemed like Zuko was going to kiss her, to actually possess her, she had mustered up the courage to pull it out. For just a second, she could have pretended to hate him. For just a second was all it would have taken. It would have been long enough to save her brother.

But when his cheek pressed into the hollow of her shoulder, the emotion that washed over her was so strong that she knew finally that she could never, never hate him.

Katara squeezed her eyes shut and hurled the blade away. It whizzed through the air, startling Zuko, who turned in time to see it lodge firmly into the wall.

"Where the hell did that come from?!" he exclaimed. But as his eyes traced the path back, its origin became apparent to him. "You?" he breathed incredulously. He pushed her away, backing up. "You were going to kill me," he accused, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Zuko…" Katara replied, reaching out to him. She had no words, for he was right. Her hands pressed into her face, as if the pressure could hide the shame emanating from her core.

"Why?" he cried. His usually proud face was stripped bare, a look of hurt so plain on it that Katara's heart wrenched.

"Please, I didn't…" she started, a lump rising in her throat.

"No. No! I thought… But you're just like they said! And I was so stupid trying to help you. Ha! Earning my trust so that you could get close to me," Zuko snarled. He dropped into a bending stance.

"Zuko, please, I…" Katara faltered. Azula's threat burned at the forefront of her brain. Zuko couldn't know. She couldn't tell him. Sokka's life would be forfeit.

Zuko came at her then, fire bursting from his fists. Katara strangled down the sob gasping from her throat. The fury raging through Zuko lent him power, and Katara was terrified to see the feral grace in his movements. But she couldn't bring herself to invest in the fight. The care she had for Zuko held her back, for she could not bear to hurt him. A fist came from her left, she dodged. A kick came at her head, she ducked. Yet never did she raise a hand of her own.

Finally Zuko himself pulled back, panting. "What the hell's the matter with you?" he demanded. He looked down at his hands in confusion, but snapped his wary gaze up quickly to watch her.

"I'm sorry," Katara whispered. Tears gathered in her eyes.

"Agni," Zuko cursed. With trepidation, he slowly brought his fingertips to brush against her arm. His gaze turned inward in solemn thought. Absently he traced comforting patterns into her skin. "Do you need your freedom that much?" he asked her quietly.

Katara started. Oddly, she had become comfortable in her new life. But the craving for freedom is strong. Perhaps in a few years she would have arrived at this point on her own… "No, no, Zuko," she denied softly. It was as much to convince him as it was to convince herself.

"Why then?" he asked, the edge returning to his voice. He was confused; his eyes were pleading.

Everything in her was screaming to tell him, to explain, to pour out her heart and cry in his arms. But she knew it was impossible. So the tears remained frozen in her eyes, and her lips trembled against each other.

Zuko dropped her arm in disgust, walking over to the wall where the knife was lodged. With an angry growl he yanked it out, turning it over in his hands. Without warning he froze, staring at the blade as if it were haunted.

"How did you get this?" Zuko asked, a note of fear weaving into the anger of his voice. Katara bit down on her lip so hard that it split.

The knife had an inscription, she realized. Taking a step closer, she read, '_Never give up without a fight._'

* * *

There were only two people left alive who even knew of the knife's existence. Somehow, Zuko hadn't thought that Uncle Iroh had been the one to give Blue the blade.

"Azula," Zuko muttered, tightening his grip on the handle. It must be her idea of a joke, he thought. That blade was the one his mother had wielded on her last day, the one that had ended Fire Lord Azulon's life. It was the blade that saved him from his own death, ordered at the hands of the aforementioned grandfather when Ozai had made his grab for power. Now, the knife that had saved him was intended to end him as well. He was to be another royal downed at the tip of the same blade.

Blue exhaled shakily, dropping to her knees on the floor. "No! You can't know," she wailed, shaking her head.

"What did she do to you?-" Zuko demanded. His eyes flashed dangerously, grabbing Blue by the wrists.

"She'll kill him," she whispered in a haunted voice, "She'll know. She'll kill him."

Zuko started at the 'him' in her sentence. An ugly emotion surfaced. Who was this him to have a hold over his Blue? He blanched to realize his use of possessives in his thoughts, but nevertheless wanted to kill the guy himself, Azula be damned.

"My brother!" Blue screamed suddenly, jumping to her feet. Zuko was thrown backwards, but relief washed over him. Only a brother.

Blue paced the room, running a hand through her hair. Zuko schooled himself not to watch her, trying to focus on the matter at hand. He knew that Azula had access to the military command center, and subsequently could send a squadron anywhere in the world with the dispatch of a single message. He had no doubt that should Blue fail in killing him, this brother's life, and possibly even Blue's own life, would be forfeit. He could not, would not, let that happen. But what could they do? Unless…

"Blue, you're going to have to kill me," Zuko informed her, shifting the blade in his hands.

"Wha-? But I can't! I WON'T!" she blanched, crossing her arms in that stubborn way of hers.

Zuko laughed, gathering the stricken waterbender into his arms. An idea was rapidly forming in his mind. "Up for a new kind of performance?" he asked against her ear.

* * *

_A/N: I just looked at my stats and was startled to see my Followers go up by an order of 10. Whoot! I am so excited you don't even KNOW. And I have 10 Favorites now too. Gah. It makes me all mushy inside. So, way to go people of Fanfiction. You make my life. Keep being awesome._

_A/N 2: Tacked that last bit on to the end of this chapter instead of making it a new chapter because it was under 400 words and that's way too small to stand on its own. And now I have 12 Favorites! *Squee!*_


	17. Decent

_A/N: Added a minichapter to Chapter 16: Intent that is kinda important for the plot so if you haven't read it yet I suggest that you do that now._

* * *

The wind whipped through Katara's hair and the rain stung her cheeks. She was leaning on the slick stone barrier of a bridge, gazing anxiously at Zuko.

"You really think this is going to work?" she asked, yelling to be heard over the storm, "Don't we need witnesses?"

Zuko looked away from her, glancing around at the sparse population scurrying about outside. "There's enough people still out. The storm only started a minute ago," he argued. The rain was coming down so hard now that streams formed against his face.

Katara fingered the dagger beneath her cloak. It disgusted her, to have to touch it, honestly once she threw it into the wall she never expected to even see it again. Zuko brought his hand to the small of her back, as if to guide her back. Katara tightened her grip on the blade and yanked it out into the rain. Rivulets ran down the cold metal, giving it a dancing reflective pattern. Zuko pretended not to notice it. Katara ran a searching hand over his back, which arched into her caress. Squeezing her eyes shut, she let out a strangled shriek as she brought the blade down into it.

Red liquid spurted from the hole in his cloak, and Zuko staggered, forcing a look of surprise and anger. Katara shrieked again, bringing the blade down once more, twice more, a repetitive downward thrust that she could not cease performing. There might have been screams, torn from throats by the wind before they could reach another's ears. People froze and stared, open-mouthed and pointing. One man took a step closer.

Katara hissed, brandishing the blade in his direction. The rain had washed the knife clean, but the blood had been moved to paint red spider webs along her arm. Keeping the weapon high, she turned to Zuko lying prostrate over the side of the bridge. His dark hair clung in messy strands to the plain of his forehead. "Blue," he called to her through chattering teeth.

The knife fell to the ground with a splash, and she threw herself over his stained form. Her tears mixed with the rain as she brought her lips to his ear. "Katara. My name is Katara," she spoke. His eyes widened with surprise. The man got up the courage to step forward again, but this time Katara did not turn around. She hauled Zuko's weight over her shoulder and dragged them both up onto the ledge.

She jumped.

They spiraled down together, Zuko wrapping his arms tight around her this time. The water rushed up to meet them and Katara smiled, bringing her arms out in readiness-

A searing pain in her skull and a jarring yank on her waist suddenly halted their decent. Zuko had slid down her body to have his arms caught on her hips. But the rain had made her clothes slick, and he had very little purchase. In horror he stared at something just beyond her head as he slipped off the final groove of her body and finally fell into the turbulent water below.


	18. Awakening

_A/N: Sorry I took so long to update! I know I left you with that AWFUL cliffhanger but that fact that you're reading this means you guys have hung in there so thank you! I've been busy with summer work and it took a while to formulate what exactly I was doing with this chapter. But here it is, finally! Keep reading, and please review! (PLEASE) And Kat's chappie is coming really soon!_

* * *

The waves tugged Zuko under as soon as he hit them. He flailed against the roiling current, which was spinning him in jerky loops. The plan had depended on Blue's hidden water bending ability. She could have propelled them to a hidden enclave he knew of, and kept an air bubble around them long enough that they wouldn't be seen surfacing. Now, the only bubbles were those forced from his lungs. The darkness crowded his eyes. Disorientation settled on the base of his neck; tendrils of fear crept into his mind. A burning sensation spread from his lungs into his muscles, and he struggled to swim, in any direction. He gave one last desperate stroke before he blacked out…

A blurry figure hovered over him as he awakened, seawater heavy and itching in his lungs. Zuko gurgled and rolled over, hacking and coughing. Great globs of water expelled from his throat. Spittle clung to the corners of his mouth.

A hand landed on his back as if to pound it, but froze. Fingers probed at the odd, raised surface. Zuko almost laughed, but it caught in his throat and he only coughed harder. Weakly he reached the rim of his shirt and pulled it up, revealing a thick-banded strap secured just below the line of his chest. Nestled between his shoulder blades was a water bladder, slashed to pieces and stained blood red.

"What is THAT?" someone asked. It was a high voice, but with a touch of gravel. A boy's voice. As Zuko's vision began to clear he connected it to the figure hovering over him.

Zuko took in long, deep breaths now, so greedy for air that he did not mind how it stung the salt still lining his lungs. "Part of my… performance," he rasped vaguely, pulling himself into a sitting position.

"Are you a magician?" the boy asked excitedly. His big brown eyes lit up beneath disheveled hair. He looked to be wearing a school uniform, but the fabric was faded and tattered.

Zuko almost denied it, but remembered that he was supposed to be dead. "Uh… something… like that," he answered with a gasp. Unconsciously he ran his tongue over his lips. The skin he encountered was shriveled and chapped. "Water," he croaked.

The boy's eyes widened, and he scurried around for a moment before he came up with a canteen hanging loosely from his shoulder. "Sorry! Here," the kid apologized, offering up the item. "I'm Lee by the way. What's your name? How'd you get in the water? What kind of magic tricks do you do? One time I saw this magician who made a dragon out of fire and there was this girl on stage and the dragon was going to burn her but the magician made the dragon disappear and-"

Just then someone crested the hill of open sand above them. "Lee! Time for din- Oh!" the woman cried. She stood starkly backlight by the sun, the patchwork colors of her dress lent brightness by it. Her mousy brown hair was pulled back into a braid, with one small strand sticking out in defiance to taming. It was the same shade and constitution as the young boy's.

"Mom, look! This man washed up on shore! He says he's a magician!" Lee announced happily, rushing to hug her skirts. Zuko smiled uncertainly.

The woman jogged down to him. As she left the spotlight of the sun, the colors of her dress too appeared faded. The sleeve that brushed across his cheek as she smoothed the hair from his forehead was fraying and torn. "Are you alright young man? You look like you've nearly drowned! And that storm last night! Heavens, you weren't out in that?" she addressed him.

Zuko blinked. This was where he should give a name and a story. Blue- no, he remembered dazedly, KATARA- had come up with aliases for them- they were to be a young, newlywed couple from the colonies interested in joining a trading company. Obtaining a merchant's visa that way would enable them to travel to the South Pole, where KATARA (he couldn't get over that) would reunite with her family. But Zuko himself had no reason to go there. In fact, his objective now should probably be to move back into the capital city where he could bust her out of the palace. And in that case he wasn't sure being a merchant was a right idea. They weren't let on palace grounds. Not to mention his scar would be instantly recognized. But as an entertainer… The corners of Zuko's mouth twitched up. It seemed the boy had unwittingly given him both a method to get into the palace AND a reason for a disguise.

"But where are my manners!" the woman exclaimed, oblivious of Zuko's musings, "I'm Kazumi. I'm sure my son Lee here has introduced himself. What might you be called?"

Zuko started. He had figured out his story but not his name! How incredibly stupid of him. To stall for time he pretended to study the grains of sand caught in the creases of his palms. His naming ability had not improved in the months since he had happened to catch the azure of Katara's eyes. His brain whirred, cycling from blank thought to blank thought. In the background, the boy was giggling as he filled his pockets with sand. "Lee! Stop that now!" his mother admonished distractedly.

"Lee," Zuko blurted. The boy let the sand sift through his fingers as he glanced up.

"What?" he asked good-naturedly.

"Uh… that's my name. Lee," Zuko reiterated. A blush rose in his cheeks. That had to be the most transparent lie he had ever told…

But Kazumi smiled kindly, and the other Lee bounded up to him in delight. "That's like, so cool! We're name buddies!" he squealed with delight.


	19. Fight

Katara's scalp screamed as she was hauled fist over fist back onto the bridge by her hair. Whoever her captor was did not allow her to sit up. In a split second they adjusted their grip on the fistful of hair at the base of Katara's skull and yanked it down an inch above the ground. Now Katara couldn't move her head; it was pinned by extension of her hair. Instead she rolled her eyes as far to the side as possible, so much so that those muscles relayed a strained ache. Between the blinding rain and the blurriness of her peripheral vision, she almost couldn't make out the person behind her. But the gleam of gold protruding from midnight hair could only belong to one of two people, and the first of those had plummeted into the water.

"Azula!" Katara cried. The wind tore the sound away and rain rushed into her mouth. There was so much water around her she was choking on it. Katara was sick to think of Zuko in the sea down below. The waves were easy ten feet high, white and choppy. And that spoke nothing of the roiling current below the surface. She felt sure that if she didn't get to him immediately he would drown.

It didn't take long for Katara to recognize there was only one way out of the situation. Waterbending. Even though the plan relied on Katara keeping her bending a secret, there was no way she was going to let Zuko die for her when she could do something about it. She was not going to let herself be the helpless little girl. Never again.

Katara closed her eyes. She bowed her forehead onto the stones beneath her in feign defeat as she gathered control over the water lining Azula's armor and skin. Azula's grip slackened, and that was all Katara needed to break it. Katara rolled to her feet, planting herself firmly in a bending stance. Azula lunged after her, but the movement was cut short by a creeping frost solidifying over her body. The Princess screamed something. It was impossible to hear over the storm. Katara turned to jump. Just then several precise jabs pounded into the curve of her spine, shoving her stomach into the edge of the bridge with such force that she gagged as she slid down the slippery surface of the wall. Enraged, she spun to sweep her new opponent into the opposite wall with a large wave. But she the connection she had with the water, that wispy extension of her hands, was gone. She couldn't feel it. It wouldn't obey her.

Stilettos pierced through her clothing, thrusting her back into the wall so quickly that her jaw knocked against her skull. Next to her, Azula's ice block shattered with the hiss of steam. Katara watched the three girls approach warily. The tall lanky one had knives interspersed in the hollows between her fingers, so she must have been the one to throw the stilettos. That meant that the other girl, the perky brunette, had been the one to take her bending away.

"What are you?" Katara whispered. The sound never reached her ears.

* * *

_A/N: Holy gosh! A double update! Isn't that awesome I'm so proud of myself see I told you it was coming soon. Although I have to say this chapter was a real challenge. Originally I was going to have Kat give herself up because she knew that she had to keep her waterbending a secret. Because if Kat used her waterbending to escape and jump, then they'd know Zuko was rescued not dead, and Azula would kill Sokka. But the more I tried to write it that way, the more I realized that it just wasn't working. Kat would fight to save Zuko, come hell or high water. All the complicated reasoning just wouldn't occur to her when Zuko was in danger, that's just her character. So then I had to make a waterbender loose a fight to a firebender within a typhoon. I mean, really. Azula can hardly make a steady flame with the wind and rain and such, even if she IS a prodigy. And with all that water Kat is obviously at the advantage, fire or no fire. So that's why Ty Lee ended up appearing. It's always interesting how the act of writing of a story informs its shape. :)_


	20. Absence

Zuko yelped around a mouthful of nails, dropping the hammer in his hand and bringing his injured thumb to his chest. The sun beat down on his back, and he turned his face to glare into it. In frustration he released a snort of fire from his nose. He was loosing too much time by worrying himself with the Agni-forsaken roof. But Kazumi…

The woman had fed, clothed and lodged him. Not to mention her son Lee had likely saved his life by discovering him on the beach. His sense of honor demanded he return something to them. Thus when Kazumi asked specifically that he help her with some of her absent husband's chores, he couldn't refuse.

She was working beside him, making small talk as they went along. "Genji is such a good man," she praised her husband. Zuko nodded acknowledgement. "It's worrisome to not be able to hear from him in so long."

"Well, he is in the army. Perhaps they're engaged with some Earth Kingdom soldiers now and he doesn't have time to write," Zuko suggested, wiping the sweat from his brow. "I'm sure you'll hear from him again soon."

"Write?" Kazumi asked in puzzlement. Zuko stopped, turning to her fully.

"Yeah. You know, send letters," he elaborated, miming with quick flicks of his wrist.

"They told us that they don't have the resources for all the lower-ranking soldiers to send letters home. Have you received letters?" Kazumi inquired, voice laced with hope.

"No, no, sorry. I just… assumed," Zuko replied, his brow furrowing.

"The last I heard from him was that he was deployed in the 45th battalion," Kazumi sighed, turning back to hammer once more. "But if something happened to him I'm sure that they'd notify us. Right?"

Zuko was frozen, his spine rigid, his eyes wide. The 45th battalion. It couldn't be. No, it wasn't…

"Lee, are you okay?" Kazumi asked worriedly. Zuko brought a hand to his scar.

"That was five years ago?" he croaked. Kazumi nodded, her lips parted in surprise.

"How did you know that?" she asked. Zuko closed his eyes, rocking back slightly. How did he know? He could never forget. The memory was burned onto his face.

"They didn't tell you," he said flatly. Kazumi shook her head, instinct telling her what she didn't want to hear.

"No. No, you don't know anything. You weren't there!-" she cried, backing away.

Zuko flashed back to a moment in a hospital room, white gauze wrapped around his eye. His Uncle was sitting next to him, a piece of parchment hanging limply from his fingers. "I'm told there were no survivors. I'm so sorry, nephew," Zuko repeated in a haunted whisper.

Tears gathered in Kazumi's eyes. Choking back a sob, she dropped her hammer and fled.

* * *

_A/N: So sorry I've taken so long I wrote some stuff a teeny bit out of order so I couldn't post it X). Can you believe this chapter was going to be light-hearted and fun at first? My mind is so horrible sometimes. But this bit is necessary for character development and what-not so meh. BUT I HAVE OVER 50 FOLLOWERS CAN YOU FREAKING BELIEVE IT? I can't. And over 20 favorites I just... gah..._

_I'm not sure when the next chapter is coming so I'll throw you guys a few bones to chew on. Zuko's going to meet an unexpected person! Mai's going to loose her cool! And Katara's going to learn some vital information! Plus, Iroh might make an appearance! Keep reading and reviewing! (Seriously. Review.)_

_A/N 2: I have begun a humorous little drabble story about Katara and Zuko's pregnancy called The Baby Script. It's not related to this universe, sadly- it actually follows cannon a lot more closely. Except, you know, Zutara. Anyway it's really awesome and I'm super proud of it so copy the link: s/9519445/1/The-Baby-Script_


	21. Accusation

Katara absolutely hated being babysat by Ty Lee. She was so bubbly and sweet that it made her want to like the girl, but at the same time she knew the atrocity Ty Lee was capable of. It was an uncomfortable duality of emotion.

"Azula just doesn't want you to kill yourself," Ty Lee chirped as she walked on her hands slightly behind Katara. That's what Zuko and Katara had intended their performance to reflect. That Katara couldn't stand being a concubine, and so killed her master. Yet she was in love with that master, so she was to kill herself in order to follow him to the afterlife. It seemed that impression had been successfully cast.

Katara snorted in contempt. "Or run away," she added.

"She's not as bad if you get to know her. I know she seems mean but really she's a nice person," Ty Lee defended, arching a leg forward to rest her foot on Katara's shoulder. "Really. You'll see."

Katara started to form a rebuttal, but Mai walked in from an adjacent hallway. Her usually blank face was curled into a sneer, her eyes puffy and red. "Stop trying to make friends with the prisoner," Mai bit out. She tried to glare into Katara's eyes but couldn't hold it, so her death glare fell to the side.

Ty Lee cart-wheeled into a standing position. "Mai are you okay?" she asked in concern.

"No you idiot. Zuko's dead," Mai choked, shoving her fingers through her bangs.

"He's what?" Ty Lee gasped. She turned pale and her limbs went weak, causing her to sway. Even her braid seemed to droop.

"Of cour- Ty Lee! We watched her kill him!" Mai shrieked, pointing an accusatory finger in Katara's direction. Katara blanched. What was all this? They were upset about Zuko's death? They were Azula's minions, surely they had known she planned it? Or maybe they wouldn't have done it, and that's why she had to find an outside source…

"Did he drown in the storm?" Ty Lee asked in a small voice.

Mai let out a strangled grunt. "You idiot! She stabbed him! In the back! He was probably dead before he hit the water!"

Ty Lee tilted her head the side. "But that was just a circus trick," Ty Lee denied, a pretty crease forming between her brows. Katara froze. Beads of sweat prickled beneath her skin. She knew?

Mai's reaction was somewhat less accepting. "It was a knife, Ty Lee! In his back! We both saw the blood! I can't believe you don't- Real life isn't like the circus!" she screeched, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Hey! But, there was a small raised surface on his back that rippled when under pressure. It's an easy trick to spot once you've been in the business long enough. And, I was the one who taught him that trick! He had a blood-filled water skin," Ty Lee argued hotly. She turned to the girl behind her for support. "Right, Blue?"

Katara's mouth dried up. Ty Lee had known the whole time?! Had she told Azula? Was Sokka safe?

Mai must have taken Katara's silence for confirmation. Her face slackened as she looked to the ceiling. "I would have killed you. If Azula hadn't been there I would have killed you," she murmured, thoughtfully spinning a stiletto from her sleeve.

"I think it was quite romantic. Well, so was the whole double suicide thing they pretended to have going on. But they just wanted to run away together," Ty Lee giggled.

Katara's face heated up. "Hold on now. You have the wrong idea-" she interjected.

"To think he loves you that much, to give up his country, his family, his crown. It's just so adorable!" Ty Lee gushed, twirling so that her pink skirt billowed.

Now Mai froze. For a split second one could see her eyes narrow before a mask of composure settled over her features. "He loves you," she deadpanned.

"Oh I don't know if he really-" Katara laughed nervously.

"Oooh, we have to find him so we can have a wedding! I've always wanted to be a flower girl. Can I be your flower girl, Blue? Can I?" Ty Lee squealed, tugging on Katara's hand as she jumped up and down.

"Azula was making me kill him," Katara blurted. Both girls stopped, turning to look at each other.

"No, no. Azula wouldn't do that. He's her brother," Ty Lee refused, shaking her head. Mai's lips tightened in what might have been agreement.

"She threatened to decimate my tribe. To kill _my_ brother," Katara continued. Her hands were shaking.

"I don't believe you," Mai said, her calm voice holding the slightest edge.

"Yeah, Blue. Your brain must be a little fuzzy," Ty Lee agreed, crossing her arms over her chest. Katara closed her eyes.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry it's been so long! I'm excited to be celebrating 60 followers and over 40 reviews! You guys are awesome. I'm going to buckle down and focus on this story this week so you should expect numerous updates! I might even finish! (Wouldn't that be something :D ) Don't forget to review!_


	22. Intimidation

Zuko's eyes trailed Lee, who had gleefully run ahead to clutch onto his mother's skirts. The boy didn't seem to pick up on the state of their environment, but Kazumi certainly did. She glanced around suspiciously now and again, each time gripping Lee's shoulder a little tighter. The town around them was falling apart. Wooden beams hung crookedly from door mantles, shingles lay scattered about the foot of buildings. The place stank of bodily waste and decay. The people looked ragged and withered.

"I never get to go out to the town. This is so exciting!" Lee called over his shoulder to Zuko.

Zuko gave him a short nod of acknowledgement, but turned to speak to Kazumi. "What happened to this place?" he asked.

The woman gave him an angry glare, as if reminding him that the only reason they'd come to town was to be rid of him. "How do you mean?" she responded acidly.

Zuko gestured at the scene before him. "This place is a mess. Everything is falling apart. Even you, Kazumi. Your family is wearing rags!"

"Lee!" she gasped. It took Zuko a moment to register that she was referring to him. "I know what we have isn't brand new, but we do what we can. Just like everyone else."

"Everyone! I have never seen a place as crappy as this in all my life!" Zuko exploded. Some of the haggard faces turned to him, surprise and anger clearly expressed.

Kazumi drew herself up, her frame trembling with outrage. "How dare you! We save your life, take you in- and this-" her voice broke, "This is how you repay us?"

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose, his brow furrowing. "Look, about your husband-"

"Don't talk to me about him! You have no right!" Kazumi screeched. Lee looked up at her in fear.

"Gah! I told you, I'm- But that's not- I just want to know what happened here!" Zuko yelled back in frustration.

Just then a hulking man came up behind Kazumi, dropping a heavy hand on her shoulder. She froze, wide eyes slowly turning to meet those of the man behind her. He, unlike the other residents of the town, appeared to have some measure of wealth. The clothing he wore was sleek and whole. "Kazumi. So glad I ran into you," he leered. She shivered, but was too paralyzed to speak back to him.

Zuko imperceptibly shifted his weight to the balls of his feet. He didn't want to antagonize a fight with an outright bending stance, but he didn't want to be caught unprepared for one, either. "Who are you?" he growled lowly.

The big man laughed, clapping Kazumi on the shoulder. She flinched at his touch. Beneath her, Lee buried his face into the side of her leg. "I think the question is, who are YOU? This here is my town. I know an outsider when I see one," the man shot back. Zuko's eyes narrowed. With a purposeful, mocking sneer, the man then spun Kazumi around to face him. "You have my money yet, doll?" he asked her.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force back the tears glistening in their corners. "We just gave you our taxes last week," she said in a wavering voice.

"Did you? Because that's not how I remember it," the man answered snidely, "What I remember is that the money was… misplaced. And out of the kindness of my heart I let you have another week to find it."

Kazumi was positively shaking then, like a leaf in the wind. "W-we don't have it, S-sir," she stuttered through chattering teeth. The man's face hardened. He gathered the front of her dress in a meaty fist and pulled her up to eye level.

"What was that again? I don't think I heard you right," he growled menacingly.

Zuko couldn't stand by watching any longer. Tightening his fists, he dropped into a solid low stance. "Let her go," he ordered.


	23. Belief

After a couple cold minutes, Mai turned on her heel to march down the hallway. Ty Lee jogged after her, asking, "Where are you going?"

"Azula should be relieved to know her brother might still be alive," Mai replied curtly, her sleeve swishing as she gestured.

"No!" Katara cried, flinging herself in Mai's path. On the slim chance Zuko survived the storm, it would put him in danger of assassination again. Katara clenched her hand into a fist, trembling. She hadn't been able to save herself from the raiding party. She hadn't been able to save Zuko on the bridge. But in this- in this she would not fail. She couldn't.

"Azula can send out a royal search party!" Ty Lee exclaimed. Using Mai as a springboard, she flipped over Katara's head and started sprinting.

"Oh no you don't!" Katara gasped. As she launched herself in pursuit she searched the premises for water. A pitcher, a cup, anything. But Ty Lee was racing away too quickly; she didn't have time to take her eyes off of the girl. So she reached out with her other sense, her hands splaying out in front of her. Whispers murmured against them. She let the loudest nuzzle into her palm and then yanked. A potted plant to her side shriveled and collapsed as its water streamed to her control.

Even though she had felt the potential pulsing through alternative water sources before, it still surprised her that she was actually capable of using one. But she didn't let herself marvel at it long; she threw a liquid whip at Ty Lee's back. The girl's back stiffened and she spun around. "Ouch! That hurt!" she whined.

"You'll put him in danger!" Katara huffed, out of breath. Ty Lee shook her head.

"Azula can help him! I don't understand why you're getting in the way," Ty Lee stated in puzzlement. She went to continue down the hall, but Katara curved an ice disk into her path. Ty Lee growled in frustration, facing her opponent with a pouting lip.

With determination Ty Lee rushed at Katara, who dodged to the side. Ty Lee pivoted, jabbing out with her fists. Now knowing this trick of hers, Katara was able to anticipate the strikes and brought up a wall of ice in front of her. Fists immediately shattered it, and Katara raced to gather the shards into a liquid ball. Ty Lee tried to take advantage of Katara's distraction by ducking under the forming fluid. In a short panic Katara jumped so that her legs wouldn't be accessible, and as she returned to the ground her hands found Ty Lee's shoulders. Katara shoved down, slamming the acrobat into the hard wood floor. Quickly she iced over Ty Lee's wrists and waist.

"Coooold!" Ty Lee gasped, wriggling.

Katara laughed, giddy with accomplishment. She rocked back on her heels, twirling what was left of her bending water around in silvery ribbons. Then she realized that Mai was nowhere in sight.

* * *

Abandoning Ty Lee, Katara raced along the vaulted hallways of the Fire Nation Palace. Her exposure to the main building was sorely lacking due to her extended stay in the seraglio, but she knew that Ty Lee had at least been running in the right direction, so she continued off that trajectory. The hallways began to open up into grander, taller spaces. It seemed as though Ty Lee had been headed for the very center of the palace.

To her right Katara caught a small movement: a sleek black shape swishing over the ornate carpet. Katara swerved to follow it, careening into a hallway in which two armored guards stood at attention. The black shape turned out to be the hem of Mai's dress rippling about her as she strode purposefully to the door they were watching. Praying she wouldn't have them as unwelcome opponents, Katara readied the water under her palm.

Without looking back Mai tossed three knives, two pinning Katara's skirts to the floor, and the third slicing across the inside of Katara's raised arm.

Katara bit back a scream of agony. Falling to her knees between the stilettos, she cradled her injury as it spurted crimson blood. The guards stepped forward uncertainly. Mai waved them off, her mouth forming words but a ringing drowned them out. The world tilted a little to the side, white dots floated in the air, everything receding behind a feathery vignette. The blurry black shape Katara had been watching disappeared as the background came up to meet it.

A steady trickle ran down her arm and dripped out over the apex of her middle and ring fingers. Something about that contour was itchy. Katara squeezed the liquid running over it into a ball and flicked it away. It splattered red.

Suddenly the world snapped into sharp focus. What had once been a whisper was a loud and careening scream pounding at her senses, and painfully she wrenched control of it under her palm. The trickle slowed, then stopped, stalling under building pressure at the opening of her wound. Katara was bending her own blood.

With effort she stood, still pressing her blood into her arm, and staggered up to the guards at the door. They looked at her at once with awe and with sheepish sympathy, shaking their heads to deny her entry. Katara scowled, feeling trapped. She was unable to use either of her arms, and her bending was heavily reliant on them. But Zuko's, she remembered, hadn't been.

Gritting her teeth, Katara leaned onto one leg, gathered the crimson stained puddle on the ground beneath her heel, and swiped it at their heads with a high kick. They had just a moment to look shocked before their heads clocked together and their bodies fell heavily in a messy heap. As Katara's leg came down, she knocked the door knob and leaned forward to kick open the door.

Despite the noisy nature of entry, nobody even looked up to see Katara in the doorframe. This was because the room had suddenly erupted into loud cheering. Up on the dais the Fire Lord stood proudly, his arms spread wide and his chin tilted up to follow the path of the flames surrounding him, towering, vibrant, and scalding. The Princess Azula sat regally beside him, a smug smirk playing at the corners of her mouth.

"From the ashes will rise a new era! From the ashes will rise a Phoenix King!" Ozai declared, closing his hands into fists and jerking them firmly. The cheering grew louder, the flames climbed higher.

With all heads turned forward, it was easy to spot the one pale face that had turned away, tight and unyielding. Katara narrowed her eyes, ready to sacrifice some of the blood she was holding at bay to freeze shut the mouth that belonged to that face. But it didn't attempt to move to the dais. Instead, it came back towards her.

"I believe you now," it murmured grimly.

* * *

_A/N: I've topped 50 reviews! Huzzah! *squeezes all readers into puddles of mush* I love you all so, so much! *tear-bending* And 30 favorites now! AND 70 FOLLOWERS HOLY FREAKIN GOSH_

_Sorry for the delay with this update I've been fairly distracted. My summer course just ended and it gave me emotions and I just couldn't focus. Plus I had to make my house all pretty for some people who were thinking of buying it which was a total pain. But I won't give up on this story if you won't!_


	24. Surprise

_A/N: So I updated the last chapter. If you haven't read it, you know what to do._

_Sorry I've been away so long! People want to buy my house and I have homework and stress and right now I'm actually on vacation in Boston with the fam so writing time is elusive. But I will finish this! I promise! Look, it's even like an hour past when I wanted to go to sleep but I'm still working for you! *determined face*_

_Also I just checked my stats and I LOST a favorite. I had 30 exactly I know these things because multiples of ten okay I just know and now there's only 29. I don't know what I did to offend you D: I'm so sorry please come back and let me love you! Like I said I am going to keep writing I'll be good please don't hate me noooooo_

* * *

Zuko was completely prepared for a fight. He just didn't expect it to initiate behind him.

A body slammed into his back, knocking the air out of his lungs and catapulting them both forward into Kazumi and the angry tax collector. Kazumi let out an indignant shriek as she was crushed in the middle. Angry shouts drifted up the road, and the weight behind Zuko shifted as if to dart off.

"Hey," the tax collector growled, his lip curling in a snarl. He reached around Zuko to grab the new man by the collar of his shirt. "Who the hell are you?"

Zuko spun to glare at that man, who was now dangling a good foot off the ground from the meaty fist of the tax collector. The expression died before it could even flicker across his face. For the man he was going to glare at had tan skin, defiant blue eyes, and a stubborn set to his jaw. He looked just like…

"Blue," Zuko said incredulously, "Katara."

The man whipped his head around, his ridiculously familiar eyes widening. "What did you just say?" he demanded.

Agitated, the tax collector shook the man violently. "Hey! We weren't done talking here!"

Pulling some bent weapon from behind his back and smashing it down on the tax collector's fingers, the man replied smarmily, "No I think we were."

With a howl the tax collector dropped him, and he landed lithely on his feet like a swan-cat. A group of townsfolk pounded into sight, panting and shaking their fists. The man cursed under his breath. He tucked under the tax collector's erratic, heavy-handed grasping to pop up on Zuko's side. "_We_ are gonna talk about how you know that name," he asserted, gesturing for Zuko to follow. He moved to escape, but Zuko's eyes fell on Kazumi cowering nearby, curled up in a protective shell over her son Lee. He couldn't leave them to be further terrorized.

Seeing Zuko rooted to the spot, the man stomped impatiently. "I can't head them all off! We gotta go!" he cried in exasperation, gesturing widely. Angry townsfolk were closing in, toting makeshift weapons such as boards gathered from the crumbling facades of nearby buildings. "Come on…" the man hissed.

Zuko snorted, smoke curling from his nostrils. "I don't want to hurt you," he addressed the townspeople. They stood uncertainly for a second, skeptical of the damage the one additional opponent would do. Zuko took a step forward. They seemed to make up their minds to charge all at once.

The man sent his bent weapon flying at the same time Zuko unleashed a couple fireballs from punching fists. Heads were knocked in a pinball effect by the bent weapon before it flew back to the man's hand at the same time that others backpedaled away from the flames. It was immediately apparent that the townsfolk were outmatched.

"You haven't heard the last of us!" one angry man shouted as he ran away, lagging behind the others who had already fled.

Zuko gave the man an appreciative glance. Whatever his bent weapon was, it was effective and interesting. He resolved to find out more about it. But at that moment the tax collector was towering over them, fuming. "You think a little fire's gonna scare me, punk?" he sneered. A steady flame burst to life in his palm.

Zuko dropped into a ready stance. The man to his side did the same. "I got a bone to pick with you too, Brown-skin!" the tax collector shouted as he hurled a fireball in the man's direction. The man dodged, sending his weapon whizzing through the air. The tax collector titled his head to the side, and the weapon went past him. "That all you got?" he scoffed.

Zuko rushed forward, shooting flames from his fists and an extended leg as he hurtled through the air. The tax collector knocked each blow aside, and returned with a wide arc of flame. With a powerful leap Zuko flipped over the fire, returning with a swipe of his arm mid-flight. This caught the tax collector off-guard and he staggered, not having been able to fully avoid the blow. Then, a bright metal glint and whizzing sound preceded the return of the man's strange weapon, which quite suddenly collided with the back of the tax collector's head.

He fell forward into the gravel, landing with a heavy thud at Zuko's feet. He seemed stunned for a moment, but soon staggered to his feet in renewed rage. "You little brats!" he yelled, fire bursting around his clenched fists. He charged forward, shooting erratically at both opponents. Zuko ducked a wild shot just barely, singeing the tips of his hair. A pop sounded behind him and a wall heat erupted into existence as the building behind him caught.

The man caught his eye and then glanced at a nearby roof. He then cut in front of Zuko in a determined dash, taking a wide arc to rush in at the tax collector. Waiting for the tax collector's attention to shift, Zuko dashed to the base of the building the man had pointed out and vaulted his way off the pillars up to the top. Below, the man was rushing back and forth frantically, narrowly escaping fireballs that lit upon adjacent structures. Backing up to the furthest point and sending up a silent prayer to Agni, Zuko ran to the end and leaped.

Coming down Zuko collided knee-first with the tax collector's shoulders. He went down hard, knocking his jaw on the hard ground with an audible crack. Zuko's legs dug into the tax collector's back, and the man brought his odd weapon to the tax collector's face in warning. Everything was silent save for the soft crackling of fire all around.


	25. Acceptance

Katara gritted her teeth as Mai tugged the bandage taught around her arm. It wasn't an apology, not quite, though it was Mai who had sliced her arm open. But it was a peace offering, her treating the wound. That was something.

"I still don't understand," Katara ventured, pulling her injured limb close to her body. The texture of the bandages was rough and layered beneath her fingertips. "Why did you change your mind? What made you believe me?"

Mai drew back, the shine in her hair shifting like a mirage. Her lips pressed together in a thin line. Her eyes, though still red from crying earlier, took on a dangerous cold steel. For a long moment, it seemed as though she was going to let the question die in the air between them. "…The way they're planning to win the war," she answered finally.

Katara's heart constricted. Instinct told her it was horrible, perhaps too much so to bear. "…How?" she managed through the lump in her throat.

Mai took a breath as if to steady herself, though her face remained as blank and impassive as usual. "Sozin's Comet is returning. The Fire Lord is going to personally use it to incinerate the entire Earth Kingdom," she explained.

Shock coursed through Katara's veins. Sozin's Comet was well known for its fire-bending amplification. It had been used by the Fire Lord Sozin to initiate the world-wide war over 100 years before. With its power, the Fire Lord wiped out the entire Air Nomad race. Now it seemed his descendant planned to use it for another mass genocide.

"But, what does that have to do with Azula threatening me?" Katara asked, her head still whirling.

Mai inclined her head slightly. A strange expression passed over her face, quick, indiscernible, like a ghost. "I always knew she was like this. I just didn't want to accept it," Mai stated. Katara splayed her hand, unconsciously prompting for continuation. Mai clenched her hand into a fist, staring straight ahead. "Every single city. Every single town. Even the colonies. Even Omashu," she uttered. Her face was still, but her hands were trembling.

Katara reached out and placed her hands over Mai's. The skin bumped against her own, a porcelain white contrasting soft brown. Despite all their differences, though, they both still had human hearts. "You must have family there," Katara whispered. Mai bowed her head.

"Burn it to the ground," she remembered aloud, studying the spiderweb patterns lining the hand on top of hers, " 'Burn it to the ground', Azula said, 'Until every last bit of flesh falls from their bones.' "

"She said that?" Katara gasped. A shiver ran down her spine.

"I always just thought, Azula is trying to be funny. She has to be. No one can actually be that sadistic," Mai mused. She pulled her hands away, smoothing her dress. As she got up, she continued, "I guess I was wrong."

The black shape of Mai's dress swayed to the doorframe. "Hey, wait!" Katara called as she stumbled to her feet. Mai stopped and turned her head. "Where are you going?" Katara questioned.

"To find Ty Lee," Mai answered as she turned away again. Katara flinched. She'd forgotten the girl was frozen to the floor.

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_A/N: Hi guys! I might be back! I was away for so long it was actually physically painful. But you know, the house got robbed and all... plus college searching..._

_So yes, the second chapter in which I failed to write Mai as an icy, indifferent bitch. Don't get me wrong, the bitchiness is badass, and I appreciate it. And I know it probably seems really OOC that it isn't present. But allow me to explain myself! In canon, nothing tragic happens to Mai that would elicit a highly emotional reaction. Except perhaps when Zuko locks her in her uncle's prison. At which point she actually seems furious, because he dumped her and now betrayed her. You do see a glimpse of her emotion there. In this story, Zuko, a person undeniably close to her heart is presumed dead, and now her family is in imminent danger. Thus I believe there would be some genuine grieving and fear, no matter how well made her mask is._

_Thank you for all your support readers! Especially those who have taken the time to review! I really, really appreciate it, so SO much._

_Side note, remember that little Zutara fic 'the Baby Script' I told you about? Apparently script fics aren't exactly allowed on this site (I know. I had to check the rules again on that one.) I might have to take it down soon, so please, this may be your last chance to check it out! Insert the link after the .net in the web address: s/9519445/1/The-Baby-Script  
_


	26. Departure

The nameless man was in a rush. Where Zuko wanted to stay and ensure that the tax collector was arrested for setting fire to the town, the other man was less than enthused to meet up with the police. The reason for that was probably the same as the cause for the angry mob that had been chasing him earlier.

Zuko's curiosity won out. He was going to follow the man in his hasty escape, if only to find out what he knew about Katara. First, though, there were a few short tasks he had to attend to.

Zuko took a deep breath, letting the fire all around him merge with the energy of his body. As he inhaled once more, the flames flared. But as he exhaled, and the life-giving air left his lungs, so too did the energy leave the flames. They winked out of existence, suddenly, as if they had never been.

Then Zuko turned to Kazumi. She was still huddled in a ball over her child, her mouth open and her eyes glistening in shock. "Who are you?" she whispered.

Zuko's throat arranged itself to respond, but he shook his head as he remembered what he had sacrificed. "No one," he answered instead. "Not anymore."

"You coming or not, Burn Face?" the nameless man growled impatiently.

Zuko turned his back, dread gnawing at his stomach. There was so much in this town that was wrong. Leaving it felt like abandonment. "I wish there was something more I could do," he murmured regretfully.

Kazumi laughed brokenly. Behind her voice lay the ghost of her dead husband. "No," she denied, "Only Agni can save us now."

The nameless man huffed impatiently, "Okay, cuddle time's over. We're _leaving_." He grabbed Zuko by the wrist. Closing his eyes, Zuko let himself be led away.

* * *

"What are you all looking at me for?" Katara demanded. They had congregated in Mai's room. Ty Lee was sitting in a cocoon of blankets on the bed, still shivering violently from prolonged midriff-to-ice contact. Mai was straddling the back of a chair, a shuriken dangling from her fingers. Both were indeed staring at Katara.

"Well, you th-think we should d-d-do something too, right?" Ty Lee said through chattering teeth. Mai nodded.

Katara shook her head. "Of course I want to do something! But what could we do? We're just three people. We wouldn't be able to take down the entire army. ...But then, maybe we don't have to. If we assassinate the Fire Lord…" she thought out loud. Mai flipped her dagger up to grip it by the handle. Ty Lee's eyes narrowed. "Oh no," Katara backtracked, "I see those looks. I don't want to actually hurt anybody, let alone kill them-"

Mai snorted. "This is war, Blue. People get hurt. People die."

"I've seen wh-what Fire Lord Ozai d-does. He's n-not a nice guy," Ty Lee added.

Katara frowned. She held so much rage inside her directed at the Fire Lord; she knew he was 'not a nice guy'. When they'd first met he had attempted to make her his sex slave. By his order her people had been systematically eradicated. Her own mother was slain by a hand of fire. The Earth Kingdom had been suffering under a similar fate for an even longer period based on unfortunate proximity. She did hate him. So shouldn't she want revenge?

She conjured his face in her head. Long obsidian hair, strong jawline, high, aristocratic cheekbones. Golden eyes. Zuko's golden eyes.

A twinge of pain took hold of her chest and she gasped. Another image flashed before her, a hazy image of two circles of gold wide in the pouring rain. They slipped once, twice, becoming smaller. And then they were ripped away.

"Zuko," Katara sobbed, her throat constricting. She'd been so focused on all that was going on that she had forgotten to worry about him. Was he even alive?

Mai turned her face away. "Zuko will understand," she assured. Katara nodded, wiping away the single tear that had rolled down her cheek. She couldn't afford to worry about him with so many lives at stake. And now that she was thinking about it, assassinating the Fire Lord was the only reasonable thing. It was horrible, yet he was horrible… and Mai was right. Somebody had to die.

Without a leader, the Fire Nation would be in chaos. A power struggle would emerge among the noble class, which would distract the army and buy time. And since the burning of the Earth Kingdom was the Fire Lord's express responsibility anyway, that plan might fall through completely. Or it should at least be delayed until after Sozin's Comet had already passed, at which point it would be very difficult for even an entire army to barbeque the land. That is, all this would be true if they timed the assassination right.

"But wait," Katara realized, "What about Azula?"

"What abou-out her?" Ty Lee asked.

Mai closed her eyes. "She will be a problem."

"Why?" Ty Lee persisted.

"When Fire Lord Ozai dies, the throne goes to her, right? Since Zuko…" Katara trailed off.

"Azula will just take over Ozai's plan. She'll burn everything herself," Mai explained. Her knife dug into the back of the chair.

"You aren't-t-t saying…" Ty Lee began. Her shivering intensified. "But she's our fr-r-riend!"

Mai bowed her head, her bangs covering her eyes. "No, Ty Lee. She's not. She never really was."

* * *

_A/N: I'm so glad I finally finished this. Hopefully will be posting the next chapter soon!_

_Okay. Let's talk seriously now. I lost a second favorite. And you know, I don't expect everyone to love my writing unconditionally, and I'm not mad that someone changed their mind about liking this per se. I'm just frustrated that I don't know WHY. If you don't like something, seriously, leave a comment. I WANT constructive criticism. I know there's a lot of people on this site that are all 'no flames!' but I'm not like that. It helps me to be a better writer AND to simply understand my audience. And if it's something I can fix, I will fix it for you. Immediately._

_Also, if you DO like my writing, please let me know why, for pretty much the same reasons. Plus it makes me happy._


	27. Fabrication

Zuko had been right when he connected blue eyes to blue eyes. The man he met in the market had been Katara's brother, Sokka. And his odd weapon was called a boomerang.

It had taken Sokka quite a long time to get to the Fire Nation. Foremost because he had stayed in the Water Tribe for over a month after Katara had been abducted, training intensively. Besides that, he had to take a very windy path. He knew that with his limited knowledge of the Fire Nation, he would have to do reconnaissance before he could maneuver effectively within their culture. So Sokka traveled a while in the Earth Kingdom and then the colonies before finally venturing onto Fire Nation soil.

The reason the townsfolk were after him earlier was because he had beaten the lot of them in a gambling tournament. He had absolutely robbed them of their money. Said he learned how to read people from some notorious Earth Kingdom girl nicknamed 'the Runaway'. Although she could allegedly 'see' heartbeats, there were other things that a less talented person could watch for, like fidgeting, leaning back in the chair, and repetitive hand-checking. While Zuko was somewhat impressed, he was also disappointed that the man would take money from such a poor town. When he voiced that opinion, Sokka looked at him sideways. Of all the Fire Nation towns Sokka had been through- and that was a rather large number- that one was the most prosperous.

"Now I've told you my whole life story," Sokka wound down, "Do you trust me yet?"

Zuko had been fairly silent during the whole exchange, not wanting to reveal his identity to a stranger immediately, no matter the resemblance to his Katara. Even still, had it been any other person he might have kept his silence, spun a lie. But there was something about Sokka. He had this openness that Zuko could not help but trust. "You have to promise me you won't tell anybody who I am. I'm supposed to be dead," Zuko cautioned.

Sokka nodded. "Dude, I am familiar with the whole incognito thing. I gotcha."

"I'm Prince Zuko," Zuko revealed.

Sokka snorted once. Then twice. Then laughed sardonically out loud. "I'm sorry, you're what? No. I don't believe you. Do I look like a sucker to you?" Sokka got to his feet, staring down at Zuko with a hard glare. "Look, maybe this is a joke to you, but this is my sister whose fate is on the line. You clearly know something about her. Cut the crap and tell me what it is."

Zuko followed him to his feet, growling. "I AM Prince Zuko. This scar is kind of distinctive, you know."

"I don't care who in the nine hells you are, just tell me, where is my sister?" Sokka demanded. His voice went up a little at the end, cracking. Pain reflected from his glistening eyes. Pain, and deep, bone-numbing fear.

"…She's in the palace," Zuko sighed tiredly. "At least, she was when I left. And I doubt Azula would let her prey wander very far."

"Palace," Sokka breathed. Then he blinked. "Really? Are you messing with me on this? Because if you are, I swear to Tui and La I will _end_ you."

"I'm not messing. I'm serious," Zuko insisted.

Sokka considered for a moment. "Prince, palace, at least he's consistent," he muttered under his breath. But he seemed to accept the latter half as true. "Must be some kind of demented servant."

"I take great offense to that," Zuko objected.

"But, this means at least she's alive," Sokka continued, ignoring the complaint. He tilted his head back and smiled in wistful study of the sky. "Thank La."

As the conversation thus came to an end Zuko felt a tension leave his shoulders that he hadn't known was there. He realized that he was glad too. He hadn't had to mention that Sokka's sister had been his unofficial concubine.

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_A/N: Sorry this chapter's so short DX Thank you so much for your support, fanfic people! I have over 60 reviews now! And many follows and favorites. It's really exciting as an author to get that much feedback. And special shout-out for all those who have favorite/follows for both Blue and the Baby Script!_

_If you're wondering, the nine hells actually comes from Meso-American culture. Not actually Inuit as far as I know, but I thought it gave the curse a nice distinctive flair._


	28. Dreaming

_A/N: Thank all of you guys SO MUCH for your support and feedback. I do take your thoughts into consideration you know. As such, it has come to my attention that the story no longer has enough Zutara moments. Therefore, I give you this somewhat fluffy chapter:_

* * *

The nightmare returned to Katara that night. The sky turned dark and fractured. Black rubble swallowed the air and she couldn't breathe- something bad was coming- where was Gran-Gran? It was too dark, too dark to see anything and she choked on the broken sky until a metallic hiss pierced the air and there was Sokka- broken eyes, broken sky- metal around her waist arctic air biting her skin the smell of the sea and then-

She was standing on a bridge with Zuko. He gazed at her with his golden eyes, rain just starting to patter down between them. Drip, drop. One caught on his cheekbone, rolled down his face and off his chin. Katara reached out and caught it with her fingertip. _Kill me_, he said. _I can't_, she told him. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to him; their mouths collided forcefully. Fire raced through Katara's veins. She brought her arms around his broad back to hold him closer. Her hands met something viscous. Zuko collapsed onto her; her knuckles collided with a wooden protrusion, heart screaming, _You killed me_ he accused- broken eyes- and he slid down her body and fell and fell…

Katara woke with a gasp, the sheet falling away from her body as she sat straight up. Shaking, she looked to the side of her bed. Zuko had never failed to wake up with her before, and it was odd in her groggy state that he hadn't been next to her, shushing, soothing. The lights were out, so her arm explored her adjacent area. It only encountered cold fabric.

"Zuko?" she whimpered. Tentatively she swung her legs over the side of the bed. When he didn't answer, she transferred her weight to the floor. "Zuko?" she asked, padding to the middle of the room. But where she expected to meet light, plush resistance from his pillows, she only encountered emptiness.

At this point her mind caught up to her, and she remembered. "Dear La," she breathed, sinking down to the floor. Her limbs shook more violently. She thought of the turbulent waves roaring and crashing, and Zuko plummeting into their grasp. It was her fault. She put him there.

"Dear La," she repeated, hands sinking into her hair. What if he was… A strangled wail escaped her lips. He couldn't be. She didn't… He couldn't be…

With a heavy heart, she started gathering all the pillows in the room. She wasn't really sure what she was doing, but she picked them up and put them down. All in a row. And then another row. And then a third, just across the top.

Once she'd finished, tears gathered in her eyes. It was a pillow mattress. One like Zuko used to make. Dragging the comforter after her, she crawled into it, curling into a little ball. Burrowing her face into a pillow, she breathed in deeply. It still smelled like him. Woodsmoke and roses. And somehow, that was so like him, as if he knew he was going to have to leave a piece of himself behind to keep her safe. Katara laughed sadly. But she found comfort in the familiar smell, and the pressure of tears in her eyes and her throat eased slightly. As she drifted off again, the image of Zuko's lips on hers revisited. For a moment she smiled. This one night, she decided, she'd pretend her world wasn't broken.


End file.
